16 September 2025

The European Health Alliance on Alcohol, a coalition of European health organisations representing over 1.7 million medical professionals and healthcare providers, calls on European legislators to uphold evidence-based public health policy in the EU Wine Package. 

Alcohol is responsible for thousands of cancer-related deaths in Europe each year. It has been classified as a known human carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), linked to at least seven types of cancer, including breast, colorectal, and liver cancers.  

Regulating the ways in which alcoholic beverages like wine are labelled and marketed is an essential step towards better cancer prevention across Europe. To safeguard public health in the draft EU Wine Package, the European Health Alliance on Alcohol calls on EU legislators to: 

• Prohibit the use of “low-alcohol” for beverages containing more than 1.2% alcohol by volume (ABV), instead of the 6% limit put forward in the current proposal.  

• Mandate clear, on-package labelling of alcohol percentage, health warnings, ingredients, and nutritional content. 

• Require on-label health warnings related to cancer and other health risks.  

• Protect EU member states’ rights to introduce additional alcohol control measures when public health data justify stronger action.  

The European Health Alliance on Alcohol (EEHA), of which the Association of European Cancer Leagues (ECL) is a founding member, is a coalition of 21 national and European health organisations working to reduce alcohol-related harm across Europe through evidence-based advocacy, education, and engagement with policymakers.  

Read the position paper.