On 11 March, EU Policy Councillor, Prof. Dominique Valla, attended the 6th plenary meeting of the European Alcohol and Health Forum (Alcohol Forum) on behalf of EASL. This is the first time that EASL has attended this meeting as an official member of the Alcohol Forum.

Established in 2007 as a cornerstone of the implementation of the EU's Alcohol Strategy, the Alcohol Forum provides a common platform for stakeholders, including industry and health NGOs, to demonstrate their commitment to reducing alcohol-related harm in Europe. EASL applied for membership in December 2009 and put forward the commitment to 'Promote the education and training of healthcare professionals in the field of alcoholic liver disease' through the organisation of a monothematic conference on alcoholic liver disease that will take place in Athens, Greece on 10-12 December 2010.

The 6th plenary meeting provided an overview of the commitments made by the different members of the Alcohol Forum and a discussion on responsible marketing in digital media.

EASL's membership of the Alcohol Forum is part of a wider programme of advocacy activities in Brussels intended to raise awareness on the impact of alcohol consumption on the prevalence of liver disease and to highlight the need for targeted EU policy action, in particular to improve research opportunities for the liver research community.

More information about the European Alcohol and Health Forum is available at:
http://ec.europa.eu/health/ph_determinants/life_style/alcohol/Forum/alcohol_forum_en.htm

EASL's commitment to the European Alcohol and Health Forum is available at:
http://ec.europa.eu/eahf/detailsForm.html?submissionNumber=1260871074042-954

EASL's position paper on Alcohol is available at:
http://www.easl.eu/_eu-policy/eu-policy-statements