The European Beer Pledge, launched at an event hosted by the EP Beer Club and Parliament Magazine, is a package of voluntary initiatives that Europe’s brewers are taking, which empowers EU citizens and leverages the importance of new technologies such as social media to support the European Union and its Member States in their Strategy to reduce alcohol-related harm.
 
The European Commission’s Despina Spanou, Chair of the EU Forum on Alcohol and Health welcomed the Pledge and Europe’s brewers’ ongoing commitment to the EU strategy and the Forum. She said that of the 212 commitments to the Forum, over one third has been made by Europe’s brewers. “This is quite impressive and one has to acknowledge it,” she said.
 
Highlighting the role of voluntary approaches, Spanou added “Sometimes through voluntary approaches you can achieve a lot and faster than if you went the legislative route. Also because you have the capacity with multi-stakeholder approaches to adapt to national specificities”.
 
The event’s host MEP Renate Sommer who steered the 2011 Regulation on food information to consumers through the European Parliament, said: “We want to involve all actors: Members States, producers, retailers, bars, restaurants, doctors, schools, parents and other groups. The EU should have a supportive function.”
 
Erika Mann, Head of EU policy at Facebook, who also spoke at the event, commended the brewers’ approach, saying: “We are delighted to be able to show our support for the work that The Brewers of Europe are undertaking in their Pledge to improve consumer information, ensure responsible advertising and address alcohol misuse.”
 
“While beer is generally low-strength and a drink of moderation, its excessive consumption, as for stronger alcoholic beverages, can contribute to ill health” said Pierre-Olivier Bergeron, Secretary-General of The Brewers of Europe. “The ambitious three-pillar EU Beer Pledge builds on Europe’s brewers’ leading role in the Forum and confirms our commitment to the EU alcohol strategy.”
 
The Pledge’s implementation will be supported by beer companies and associations. Heineken’s Rutger Goethart said, “Digital media create an opportunity to engage with consumers on responsible beer consumption. We develop digital campaigns to address misuse. Our most recent example is our Sunrise(1) campaign with the Heineken brand, which makes moderate beer consumption aspirational. This message is good for consumers, good for our brand and good for our business.”
 
The Pledge will be evaluated annually to allow for ongoing measurement of initiatives in line with best practices. Implementation activities may be submitted as actions under the EU’s alcohol-related harm strategy through commitments to the Alcohol and Health Forum. It is hoped that they will provide input to strategies against alcohol misuse at national, regional and global levels.
 
To highlight that the Pledge is about action, The Brewers of Europe submitted a commitment to the Forum today entitled ‘Self-regulating beer advertising across social media’. The commitment, which the Commission will make publically available shortly, will help to ensure responsible beer advertising on social media.
 
Already the brewers associations of Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Cyprus, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, the Netherlands and the UK have submitted their planned activities to support the Pledge’s implementation, through concrete, local activities in 2012.

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(1) ‘Sunrise belongs to moderate drinkers’ – the video is available on Facebook and YouTube
 
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Media contacts
 
Simon Spillane: +32 2 551 18 10, sws@brewersofeurope.org
Sandy McLean: +44 7786 601 771, smclean@cambre-associates.com
 
About The European Beer Pledge
 
The European Beer Pledge is a voluntary initiative by Europe’s brewers to support EU Member States in reducing alcohol related harm. Brewers commit to taking concerted and measurable action to improve consumer information, ensure responsible advertising and address alcohol misuse in line with the expectations of citizens and EU policymakers.
The Pledge consists of three pillars:
Increase consumer information and knowledge through a range of platforms including new technologies.
Ensure responsible advertising.
Directly address misuse.
The Pledge: http://www.brewersofeurope.org/docs/publications/2012/pledge_leaflet_final_4_web.pdf
 
About The Brewers of Europe

For more than a half century The Brewers of Europe has been the Brussels-based voice of the European brewing sector towards the European institutions and international organisations. Founded in 1958, it has 28 members, comprising 24 national brewer associations from the EU, Croatia, Norway, Switzerland and Turkey. Among the roughly 3,500 brewers across Europe, the vast majority are small and medium-sized, local and family-run businesses. 2 million jobs are created by the European brewing sector.
www.brewersofeurope.org
 
About the European Alcohol and Health Forum (EAHF)
 
The EU Alcohol and Health Forum is a platform where organisations active at European level can debate, compare approaches and act to tackle alcohol related harm. To become members of the European Alcohol and Health Forum organisations must meet certain requirements and make one or more specific commitments for action. The Brewers of Europe is a founding member of the EAHF and brewers have filed over a third of the 200+ commitments to action.
 
Background: http://ec.europa.eu/health/alcohol/forum/forum_details/index_en.htm
EAHF commitment database: http://ec.europa.eu/eahf/

European beers are also famous the world over, with not just our products, but our brewing expertise, exported to all four corners of the planet. As President Barroso stated in 2011: “More than ever the brewing landscape across Europe combines deeply rooted multinational companies as well as myriads of small and medium sized companies sometimes at community level. This combination is the key source of dynamism for Europe's economy.” Ernst & Young’s latest snapshot of the EU brewing sector showed that approximately two million jobs in the EU are created by beer, whilst brewers contribute fifty billion euros in taxes to EU governments each year. Brewers furthermore spend one billion euros annually supporting activities in communities across the EU. In the words of the President of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy, addressing Beer Serves Europe 2010: “Beer is part of our common European heritage and culture. Beer is culture and tradition. But beer is also economy.” However, the brewing sector has been hit hard during the economic crisis, with knock-on effects notably on employment. For every job that we create in our sector, we generate eleven in the hospitality sector. Falling beer consumption and particularly the increasing number of people put off by the costs of going out, have had a major impact on the profits, jobs and taxes generated by beer sold in bars and restaurants. Whilst the declines were biggest in the first two years of the crisis, 2012 is looking like it will remain a very challenging one for Europe’s brewers, particularly with further tax increases planned on beer. What has been shown is that these tax hikes even lead to less government revenues. With taxes pushing prices up in the hospitality sector, where the majority of the jobs and tax revenues are made, in just two years twelve percent of beer-generated jobs and six percent of government tax revenues from beer were lost. In this regard it was heartening to hear President Barroso say to brewers in November that “the Commission greatly values an open dialogue with The Brewers of Europe, and fully recognises their important contribution to the European economy, both as job providers and as important revenue contributors to national budgets.” Of course, not all the challenges in 2012 will be purely economic. With changing expectations on business and diminishing natural resources, Europe’s brewers are also keen to reduce their impact on the environment. Also a clear business case can be made for reducing energy and water usage, with such costs and the price of raw materials increasing, whilst the economic crisis continues to bite. This will thus increasingly be an area where Europe’s brewers strive to do more, and better in 2012. When the EU Strategy to Support Member States in reducing alcohol-related harm was adopted in 2006, an Alcohol and Health Forum was set up to support it. Europe’s brewers over the past five years have come to the fore contributing, often in partnership with governments, civil society and NGOs, over a third of the two hundred voluntary commitments to action made by Forum members. The EU however faces a challenge in 2012 – assessing the impact the EU Strategy has had on reducing alcohol-related harm. Evaluations demonstrate not just a high level of local activity from brewers, but also clear results from some of the activities in terms of targeting and reducing harm. The Brewers of Europe will therefore assist the Commission in demonstrating how these activities have contributed to helping the EU achieve its aims, and how the Forum model is one that should be further encouraged as a means for fostering and sharing effective activities, not just at EU level but also at national level. Undoubtedly, Europe’s 2020 Growth Strategy and the way Europe’s brewers contribute to its success, are key to confronting the challenges in 2012 and beyond. This blueprint for growth and recovery offers an opportunity to further align the European brewing sector’s ambitions with the EU’s, creating smart economic growth and jobs, responding to consumer expectations and ensuring a sustainable brewing sector. President Barroso himself said in 2011 that he wishes the Commission and brewers to “work in close cooperation so as to face current challenges and find appropriate responses to the crisis which is affecting Europe.” To meet the challenges in 2012 Europe’s brewers will continue to pursue smart growth through innovation in the sector and will foster inclusive growth by boosting employment as the sector recovers from the economic crisis, including in vulnerable communities which often depend on the local brewery as the primary employer. Brewers will pursue these issues whilst also continuing to meet the growing expectations of policymakers and citizens. The Brewers of Europe’s strong wish is that the beer sector can help to re-establish confidence in European business in 2012. Beer serves Europe and The Brewers of Europe is convinced that Europe can serve beer.

Pierre-Olivier Bergeron 

After the first two quarters the demand for beer in Poland was by 7.6% higher than in the respective period of 2010. In the first quarter of 2011 sales rose by 2.2% compared to the first quarter of 2010, whereas the second quarter brought a sales increase by as much as 11.6%. We cannot however forget that the spring of 2010, marked with the aircraft crash in Smoleńsk and the dramatic floods in Poland, was one of the worst periods for the industry, bringing a sales’ decrease of roughly 15% in May 2010. So the spring demand increase has rather been the market’s reaction to last year’s situation. Cold and rainy summer months of 2011 were in turn much worse for the industry than the previous year – the demand for beer was lower by 6.1% compared to the previous year. However, from January to August sales of beer in Poland rose by 3.2%. On the whole year, one can expect an increase by roughly 2% compared to 2010. From Europe’s perspective: The report entitled “The Contribution Made by Beer to European Economy”, published by The Brewers of Europe and Ernst & Young summarizes the shape of the Polish and European brewing industry in 2010. As the report shows, with its 36.6 million of hectoliters and the consumption of 91 liters per capita, the Polish brewing industry constitutes the third biggest producer in Europe after Germany and Spain. In Poland, the brewing sector generated a value added of 2.02 billion of Euros and contributed to the state’s budget by 2.4 billion Euros in taxes. Besides, as the report’s authors suggest, apart from the 15 thousand jobs for persons directly employed in the breweries, the brewing sector generates on average roughly 75 thousand jobs in sectors delivering and servicing the breweries, and if one accounted for jobs in gastronomy and hotels, it gives altogether 157 thousand of workplaces. As the report shows, the European brewing sector did not have it easy either the last year 2010 – beer production amounted for 382.6 million of hectoliters and was by 1% lower than a year before, whereas consumption decreased by 4% and amounted for 342.6 million hectoliters. In the Union, the sector employed over 2 million people, which gives roughly 1% of all jobs available in the Community. At the same time, the sector reached the value added of roughly 50 billion Euro and generated 5.6 billion in taxes. Not only the market: Last year the brewing industry was involved not only in market issues. One of the most important events was undoubtedly the seminar “Civic education – Alcohol and Society”, which was organized by the Union of the Brewing Industry Employers and The Brewers of Europe. The topic of the Seminar attracted experts in various fields, but it focused on working out realistic and effective ways to prevent negative effects of irresponsible alcohol consumption as well as the role, which can be played in these activities by all organizations willing to participate in shaping the culture of responsible alcohol consumption. The brewing industry raises the necessity to create a broad social forum, which would become a real forum for discussion, opinion exchange as well as elaboration of realistic solutions for problems related to irresponsible consumption of alcohol. The forum should be open to all institutions, organizations or circles willing to solve this problem – such as public administration, non-governmental organizations, think tanks or scientific centers. The will to establish a Polish Alcohol and Society Forum was announced at the above mentioned Seminar on the 28th November. All presentations made at the conference, as well as pictures and speeches of experts are available on the web page www.browary-polskie.pl under Alcohol and Society as well as in the Seminar’s profile on Facebook.

More: http://www.beerserveseurope.eu/2011/www/index.php

“These fiscal consolidation measures, they are unavoidable,” Barroso said shortly after meeting with Italy’s new Prime Minister Mario Monti. “As leaders of the business community I’m sure you understand that. It would be unthinkable for your companies to do what some governments have been doing.” But Barroso, speaking to some 300 top beer executives, policymakers and the media, also said the EU had “systemic problems” and must promote growth by making the single market more flexible, and “to ensure that regulation doesn’t overburden business.” “I would like to commend the efforts of your sector to introduce self-regulation to promote responsible beer advertising across Europe” Barroso said. “Initiatives like this and pro-active involvement of industry representations are an excellent example of industry working with regulators to make legislation truly smart.” Europe’s brewers support some 2 million jobs and contribute €50 billion in taxes but face tough challenges as the economy risks another recession. Danuta Hübner, a leading Polish MEP and former European Commissioner for Regional Policy, said that Europe’s brewers “are active in Europe’s regions in all 27 Member States, for decades supporting programs promoting responsible drinking as well as backing thousands of local events that are part of Europe’s social fabric and regional identities.” Alberto Da Ponte, The Brewers of Europe President said, “The brewing sector is emerging from a difficult period but we have embraced the Europe 2020 strategy. With the right support from policymakers, our sector can play a key role in Europe’s economic recovery and future growth.” A panel session invited brewers and policymakers to discuss the challenges the sector faces. SABMiller’s Europe CEO Alan Clark said, “The brewing sector has weathered the storm so far, but policymakers must be aware of the impact that further economic downturn combined with dramatically increasing taxes on beer may have.” According to an independent report published in May this year, across Europe the 3,500 brewers, large and small, spend €1 billion annually supporting over 8,000 community and regional events and activities, including in the areas of the arts, culture, innovation and science, as well as sport. The gala included a presentation of the ´Faces of Brewing´ photo contest winner and a networking gourmet dinner prepared by Eurotoques, representing 4,000 chefs across Europe. The reception also featured beers from Poland in honour of the country’s rotating EU presidency.

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