The European Commission will shy away from proposing advertising bans, warning labels on drinks or higher drinks taxes when it publishes its strategy to tackle alcohol abuse today.
The strategy will recommend better monitoring by the commission of existing national systems of self-regulation by the drinks industry and support for more alcohol-awareness campaigns.
A draft copy of the plan on alcohol and health obtained by The Irish Times concludes that the commission should not implement its strategy through "specific new legislative proposals". Its contribution to tackling health problems associated with alcohol should be based on the existing approach of complementing national strategy. The commission strategy is a bitter blow for campaigners urging tighter restrictions on the drinks industry.
They have been lobbying hard for tough policy measures on an EU-wide basis to tackle alcohol abuse.
Young people are particularly at risk, with a tenth of all female deaths and a quarter of all male deaths in Europe related to hazardous alcohol consumption.
Prof Ian Gilmore, president of the Royal College of Physicians in Britain, described the commission plan as "very disappointing".
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