Annual report from the board
October 2009 – October 2010
During the year our working program discussion of alcohol advertising has been activating in Europe and on the national level. NordAN´s Helsinki conference theme Symbolism of Alcohol and drinking in 2009 was actual and just in time. For instance in Finland a committee was set up in 2010 by the Finnish Ministry of Social Affairs and Health to investigate restrictions on alcohol advertising. The majority of members were satisfied with present restrictions while four members, representing health and welfare interests (especially NGOs) declared dissentient views to the report and demanding for stricter restrictions on alcohol advertisements.
Sweden had the Presidency of the Council of the European Union during the second half of 2009. Sweden had again the active role in lifting alcohol questions in the Union agenda. The public highlight was the EU-conference in the autumn 2009. NordAN was one of the NGO´s working on behalf of public health oriented alcohol policy in Europe. A workshop about Alcohol problems in the Family was organised in the Conference. With the Leading of Sweden the Council of European Union accepted Council conclusions of the 1st of December 2009 on alcohol and health. The conclusions contain several requests for the member states and the Commission, for instance to keep public health-based alcohol policy high on the agenda towards 2012 in order to reduce alcohol-related harm at EU level.
Public national and international surveys and barometers show all the same kind of baseline: the responsible and restrictive alcohol policy is highly appreciated by the citizens. For instance the Eurobarometer survey on alcohol was carried out in October 2009 with 27 000 respondents. The survey shows that an overwhelming majority of Europeans support public policies aimed at reducing alcohol-related harm. A clear majority (89%) support the18-years age limit for selling and serving alcoholic beverages across the EU. There is also strong endorsement (83%) for action against drinking and driving. This is a good argument for NordAN and its member organisations in there advocacy work.
Another supportive element is the research results which show from time to time that the most effective policy tools are restrictive price- and tax policy. The special survey of Eurostat in 2010 shows that comparative price levels of alcohol in 37 European countries for 2009 vary considerably. Norway has the highest price level of alcohol beverages, Finland comes next and has the highest prices in the EU. Also in Denmark, Iceland, Latvia and Sweden the price level is higher than the average in EU. Estonia and Lithuania lie below the average.
In 2010 active global alcohol and drug policy has continued. In May 2010 the new WHO Global Alcohol strategy was approved. NordAN followed the strategy process and had also its own contribution in that process. NordAN and its 88 member organisations will get an even more important role in the implementation of that strategy in the national, regional and local level.
Sanco, the Directorate General in European Commission, which is responsible for alcohol policy, has continued its action. NordAN has also been a part of that arena during the year. NordAN´s main role in the Forum is to bring the Nordic alcohol policy views to the EU’s focus, because quite often the issues are tightly linked not only in the national and Nordic but also in the European and global (for instance WTO) level. NordAN has written the commitment with Alcohol and Health Forum from its beginning in Brussels.
NordAN has reported the follow-up of this commitment first at the end of March in 2009. In June 2010 NordAN has sent a new update to the Commission from the period April 1, 2009 – June 30, 2010. It seems that the aims and the actions have changed so rapidly that NordAN needs perhaps a totally new commitment with Alcohol and Health Forum in the future.
NordAN is a member of Eurocare, The European Alcohol Policy Alliance. NordAN was represented at the 4th European Alcohol Policy Conference: A call for action hosted by Eurocare in Brussels 21-22 June 2010. NordAN´s representatives took also part in Eurocare General meeting. The board members Varamäki and Beekman are also board members of Eurocare.
One of NordAN´s most important partners is the Nordic Council of Ministers, with which its has had close and mutual relations all these last ten years. NordAN has also close contacts with WHO regional office in Copenhagen. For instance WHO alcohol and drug experts have an important position in the Copenhagen 2010 conference.
NordAN arranged on 27th of October a lunch meeting to the MEPs during the Nordic Council meeting in Stockholm. Jan Rosenström from the Finnish National Supervisary Authority for Welfare and Health gave a presentation about the current situation regarding Nordic wine yards and alcohol selling which have been a common Nordic issue during last years.
NordAN has also continued the drug policy networking and partnership in Northern Dimension drug issues. NordAN´s main partner has been Sihlwa –project which is now under reorganisation. In Helsinki conference 2009 there were some sessions specially tailored for drug policy issues and also the same line continues in Copenhagen. Sweden arranged in May 2010 a big drug policy conference in Stockholm.
A REPORT BY THE BOARD
The democratic election procedure was adopted 2009 in Helsinki and it ensures that all member countries are represented in the board. It was also decided that the network’s working language is English.
The board members
Outi Ojala, Finland, President
Ritva Varamäki, Finland
Johan Damgaard Jensen, Denmark
Anne-Karin Kolstad, Norway
Arni Einarsson, Iceland
Hjalmar Hansen, Faroe islands
Lauri Beekman, Estonia
Veryga Aurelius, Lithuania
Janis Caunitis, Latvia
Leena Warsell, Secretary General, Finland (1.3.2010 >)
During this year NordAN has had five ordinary meetings: in Helsinki (23.10.2009), in Copenhagen (15.12. 2009), in Copenhagen (17.2.2010), in Stockholm (22.3.2010), in Brussels (20.6.2010 with connection of Eurocare-conference). The board will also meet in Copenhagen 30.9.2010 (and 1.12.2010 in Oslo).
The member organisations
NordAN is the umbrella to the NGO´s in Nordic and Baltic countries. Altogether 88 different organisations belong to NordAN’s network. The most efficient link between these will be the new website. At www.nordan.org you can get more detailed information about NordAN and the contributing NGO´s. NGO´s are also in a very important role in NordAN conferences, for instance arranging special sections and reporting from them.
The secretariat
Gabriel Romanus has been the honoured and well-known President of NordAN since NordAN was set up. In his leading NordAN, with its 88 members, has developed to an active partner in alcohol and drug policy in Norden. After ten years of hilarious work he decided to give space for the new waves of NordAN.
Hasse Schneidermann has been the secretary general since the first of January 2007 till October 2009. The president Outi Ojala is from Finland. She is a long term politician in the Finnish parliament, the former MEP and very active in the social and health policy issues in general.
As the secretary general has been chosen PhD Leena Warsell from Finland in the February board meeting. She has worked in the Finnish alcohol monopoly Alko Ltd., in Stakes and in National Health and Welfare Institute (THL). In 2005, at the University of Helsinki, she published her PhD about alcohol policy.
Hasse Schneidermann has worked full time but from the economical reasons Leena Warsell is a part-time Secterary General (less than 50%). NordAN has bought her consulting services through her firm LW-Neuvoa-Antavat /LW Consulting.
The new address of NordAN is Karjalankatu 2 C, 00530 Helsinki.
NordAN has got funding from Nordic Council of ministers, SAFF from Sweden, Actis from Norway and SLAN from Sweden. The year 2010 has been difficult, because NordAN has not had enough resources to keep a full-time Secretary General.
NordAN conference in Helsinki
NordAN´s main contribution has been the conference Symbolism of Alcohol and Drinking in Helsinki. This conference has been arranged together with the Finnish Centre for Health Promotion. (see the appendix 1, report 2010, the summary and recommendations). The conference is documented on NordAN’s website (www.nordan.org).
NordAN´s annual assembly and the representatives 2009
In connection with the conference in Helsinki, NordAN also held its 9th annual assembly of the representatives on October 23rd, 2009.
The new board was elected in this meeting. 32 member organisations were present with voting rights. The annual report from the board was presented by Gabriel Romanus. Outi Ojala has been elected as the next president. She is a Finnish long-term politician, former MEP, the member of the Helsinki city board and social and health policy actor. Two more members have been elected (NGO Fontana from Denmark and The Baltic Tobacco and Alcohol Control Coalition BTACC). Two proposals had been made to the assembly. The first one: To change the yearly assembly (from every year to every second year). And the second one: NordAN drug policy platform. The second one was unanimously adopted but the first one not.
The resolution on alcohol marketing has also been presented in the meeting. The reports from the board and auditor Nils Harder were accepted.
The assembly thanked Gabriel Romanus and welcomed the new President and the new board.
The NordAN Copenhagen Conference and general assembly from the 1st to the 2nd of October
The biggest effort in 2010 has been the arrangements of the Copenhagen Conference in 2010. With insufficient resources the board and specially our Danish partner and co-organizer Alkoholpolitisk Landsråd have tried to plan this event, because the meaning of this kind of special conference has been so essential in networking with member organizations and other important bodies through all NordAN´s active years. The year 2010 is also the 10th anniversary of NordAN.
Appendix 1: NordAN partnership (from www.nordan.org) 2: The summary and recommendations of the Helsinki Conference 2008 (from www.nordan.org)
