Content : Health
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In the area of health, EU action in the following areas is of particular concern to the hospitality industry:
Alcohol
European Alcohol and Health Forum
The European Commission launched the European Alcohol and Health Forum on 7 June 2007, in the framework of the EU strategy to “support Member States in reducing alcohol related harm” (COM(2006) 625 final). As indicated in its founding Charter, the objective of the Alcohol Forum is to provide a common platform at EU level for all interested stakeholders (economic operators, medical professions, NGOs) who are willing to “devote time and resources to adopt meaningful actions to prevent alcohol related harm”. Forum members commit themselves to take self-binding actions (the so-called “commitments”) in relation to specific priorities areas and engage themselves to monitor and to report on their implementation.
On the occasion of its 56th General Assembly in Vilnius (September, 2007), HOTREC decided to join the Alcohol Forum . As a member of the Forum, HOTREC committed itself to invite and stimulate the national associations to take actions to reduce alcohol abuse related harm.
Further information on the Forum, its members and their commitments can be found here .
Smoking
On smoking, a Council Recommendation from 2002 on the prevention of smoking invites Member States to reduce the exposure to second-hand smoke in indoor work places and enclosed public places. An increasing number of Member States are introducing smoking bans for hospitality venues, but there are no binding rules on EU level as yet. On 30 January 2007, the European Commission issued a Green Paper entitled “Towards a Europe free from tobacco smoke: policy options at EU level”.
Nutrition
As far as nutrition is concerned, the European Commission has set up an Action Platform on Diet, Physical Activity and Health. The platform brings together a range of actors – public, private, and civil society – with the aim of spreading best practices and proposing concrete solutions for preventing obesity. HOTREC is one of the members of the platform.
Main HOTREC documents