Mental health policy and practice across Europe: an overview

268 Mental health policy and practice
Figure 11.7
Cost-effectiveness of different policy options ( per DALY prevented)
Source: Anderson and Baumberg (2006), adapted from Chisholm et al. (2004)
that strengthening alcohol policies is associated with reduced alcohol consumption
(see Figure 11.10). Although European countries as a whole have been
strengthening their alcohol policies, they lag behind the rest of the world in
many regulatory areas, with the exception of measuring blood alcohol levels in
drivers (see Figure 11.11).
In the EU, alcohol policy is influenced by the market’s policies to encourage
the free flow of goods, services, labour and capital across the national borders of
the member states. Alcohol policy is determined by a balance of those articles
which protect public health and those policies which relate to the free trade of
products, taxation and agriculture.
Health protection
In the EC Treaty, articles which accord a protection of public health include
Article 3, ‘a contribution to the attainment of a high level of health protection’;
Article 152, ‘a high level of human health protection should be ensured in the
definition and implementation of all Community policies and activities’; and
Article 95, ‘a high level of health protection in all legislative activities which have
as their objective to establish and maintain the functioning of the internal
market’.