The overall objective of the conference is to support capacity building and action in alcohol policy at the European, national, regional and municipal levels to invest in the health of Europe’s citizens.

The conference will aim at raising awareness among the key policy and decision makers of the current burden of alcohol in Europe and multiple health and social problems it creates. It will explore ways in which cost effective alcohol policies can contribute to creation of sustainable health system savings.

In addition, this conference will consider the synergies between the current works undertaken by both the European Commission (EC) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) with regards to chronic diseases and alcohol policy. For instance it will touch upon the implications of the adoption of the WHO Global Strategy to reduce Harmfull use of Alcohol, WHO Global Action Plan for the prevention and control of NCDs 2013-2020, the EU actions on chronic diseases as well as the EU Alcohol Strategy.

The conference will contribute to the development of the capacity of the EU community to respond to chronic disease, through addressing methods of better management and regulation of alcohol.

The conference will aim at presenting how tackling the issue of alcohol related harm through effective policies will offer measurable health system savings and enhance the growth and productivity agenda for Europe 2020.

The specific objectives of the conference are:
1. to place prevention and reduction of alcohol-related harm high on the political level, with conclusions of the conference that can feed into the political process on EU level (including the Italian and Latvian Council Presidency).
2. to spread the knowledge and scientific evidence in relation to alcohol policies;
3. to provide for advocacy development, networking, partnership building and exchange between participants
4. to develop conference recommendations especially in relation to cost- effectiveness of alcohol policies and potential health system savings
4. to support the need to take alcohol into account in developing policies in ALL policy areas
8. to profile ongoing and recent European Commission co-financed projects in the field of alcohol (AMPHORA,AAA Prevent,AlICE RAP,ODIN, Eyes on age, EWA, Let it hAPYN, Joint Action to support Member States in taking forward work on common priorities in line with the EU alcohol strategy )
9. to structure the conference program in a manner that would formulate the alcohol related harm discussions in a comprehensive method and link them into multiple policy areas, as well as portraying the cost and benefits of action or inaction (in terms of health expenditure, deaths etc)

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