Bridging the gap

The Eurocare project, Alcohol Policy Network in the Context of a Larger Europe: Bridging the Gap (BtG) was funded by the European Commission for the years 2004-2006.

The main aim of the project was to create a vibrant alcohol policy network to further the development of an integrated Community strategy to reduce alcohol-related harm in the context of a larger Europe as embodied in the Council's conclusions of 5 June 2001 and to support and encourage European countries to implement the Council Recommendation on the drinking of alcohol by young people.

The project included partners in 30 European countries as well as the World Health Organization (European Office), the European Youth Forum, and the European Public Health Alliance.

Project deliverables

The deliverables of the BtG project included:

• The creation of a European Alcohol Policy Network (APN)
• Two European Alcohol Policy conferences that took place in Poland (2004) and Helsinki (2006)
• A Report of alcohol policy, identifying barriers and facilitators in all Member States, also the new Member States and applicant countries
• A Report of Country Profiles
• Two advocacy training schools and an alcohol advocacy policy manual to meet the needs of policymakers and programme implementers
• A youth alcohol policy questionnaire that was distributed to the member organisations of the European Youth Forum in order to obtain the views of youth organisations across Europe on what they believed were the important alcohol policy measures to protect young people from the pressures to drink and to prevent and reduce the harm done to them directly and indirectly by alcohol. See the Report of the Youth Working Group on Alcohol Policy
• A series of theatre sketches contrasting stakeholders' views on alcohol policy

Advocacy training schools

An alcohol advocacy policy manual (Advocacy Tool Kit) has been created to meet the needs of policymakers and programme implementers.

The five main components of the kit are as follows:

• Session Plans and background material
• Handouts
• Visual Aids
• Background material