Eurocare

Eurocare
Name	Eurocare
Formation	1990s
Type	Non-governmental organization
Headquarters	Brussels
Region	Europe
Focus	Alcohol policy, public health, prevention

Eurocare Eurocare is a Brussels-based non-governmental organization that brings together public health advocates, national NGOs, research institutes, and policy actors to address alcohol-related harm across Europe. It engages with European Union institutions, World Health Organization offices, national ministries of health, and civil society networks to promote evidence-based measures and coordinate pan-European campaigns. Eurocare collaborates with academic centers, patient groups, and advocacy coalitions to shape legislation, surveillance, and prevention strategies.

History

Founded during the 1990s public health mobilization, Eurocare emerged amid discussions at the World Health Organization and within the policy arenas of the European Commission and the Council of Europe. Early convenings included delegates from the Royal College of Physicians, Institute of Alcohol Studies, Addiction Research Foundation, and national NGOs from France, Germany, United Kingdom, Italy, and Spain. Eurocare participated in consultations around the European Charter on Alcohol and contributed to preparatory work for the WHO Global Strategy to Reduce the Harmful Use of Alcohol. Its timeline intersects with major events such as the expansion of the European Union in 2004, the adoption of EU health strategy documents, and debates following the Lisbon Treaty on competencies for public health policy.

Mission and Objectives

Eurocare’s stated mission centers on reducing alcohol-related harm by informing policy through research, advocacy, and capacity building with partners like the European Public Health Alliance, European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, European Commission Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety, and European Parliament committees. Objectives include strengthening alcohol policy frameworks in member states such as Sweden, Poland, Hungary, and Portugal; promoting pricing and availability measures discussed by analysts at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and University College London; and supporting prevention programs modeled on work from Karolinska Institutet, Aarhus University, and the University of Barcelona.

Organizational Structure

Eurocare is organized around a secretariat based in Brussels that liaises with a membership network of national NGOs, academic partners, and specialist centres such as the Institute of Public Health (Ireland), National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, and research units at University of Glasgow and University of Oxford. Governance includes a board with representatives from national member organizations in countries like Belgium, Netherlands, Austria, Czech Republic, and Romania, and advisory groups drawing expertise from institutions such as European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, and leading public health academics at Imperial College London. Office roles typically cover policy, communications, research, and fundraising.

Activities and Campaigns

Eurocare runs awareness campaigns, policy briefings, and conferences engaging actors like the European Alcohol and Health Forum, European Consumers Organisation (BEUC), and patient groups such as European Association for the Study of the Liver. Campaign themes have included minimum unit pricing advocated in debates in Scotland and Wales, restrictions on marketing reflecting hearings before European Parliament committees, and labeling initiatives comparable to discussions in France and Germany. It organizes annual conferences, technical workshops, and collaborates on surveillance projects with WHO Regional Office for Europe and academics from Trinity College Dublin and Maastricht University.

Policy Positions and Advocacy

Eurocare advocates for evidence-based measures including price and taxation policy debated alongside research from University of Sheffield, restrictions on advertising contested in hearings involving broadcasters regulated under European Audiovisual Observatory, and availability controls discussed in national parliaments of Finland and Norway. It submits position papers to the European Commission and provides expert testimony to European Parliament rapporteurs, supporting WHO-recommended approaches and alignment with frameworks used by Public Health England and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Eurocare has taken stances on cross-border health policy, trade disputes assessed by the World Trade Organization, and regulatory issues engaging the European Court of Justice.

Funding and Partnerships

Eurocare’s funding streams include grants from philanthropic foundations such as the Wellcome Trust and collaborations with research consortia funded by the Horizon 2020 programme and the European Research Council. It partners with civil society networks including Active Citizens Fund initiatives, collaborates with university research centres like King's College London and Ghent University, and receives project support from trusts and foundations that also fund public health work at the Robert Koch Institute and Statens Serum Institut. It maintains financial transparency through membership fees from national NGOs in countries including Lithuania, Slovenia, Croatia, and Estonia.

Impact and Criticism

Eurocare has influenced policy dialogues on alcohol pricing, marketing, and labeling, contributing evidence cited by national health ministries in Ireland, Scotland, and Iceland, and by experts at European Public Health Conference sessions. Critics include industry groups such as the European Alcohol Policy Alliance competitors, trade associations representing producers and retailers, and commentators aligned with think tanks active in Brussels who argue about regulatory impacts on markets and trade. Academic critiques examine evidence interpretation, with methodological debates involving scholars from University of Copenhagen and Erasmus University Rotterdam. Eurocare’s work remains a reference point in debates involving the WHO, the European Commission, national legislatures, and public health research networks.

Category:Non-governmental organizations