Event highlights
On 17–18 February 2025 policy-makers, researchers, youth advocates and civil society representatives from across Europe convened in Vilnius, Lithuania, to examine the lessons of the Baltic Alcohol Control Policy Project (2020–2025) and discuss how to translate research into effective alcohol policies.
Participants explored critical themes, including taxation, availability restrictions, advertising bans and strategic advocacy, and shared ways to navigate the challenges of industry opposition, shifting political dynamics and entrenched cultural norms.
Throughout the discussions, 3 key enablers of change emerged: fostering strategic relationships, seizing political timing, and making evidence compelling and accessible. The event underscored that strong policies can save lives – but only if they are effectively implemented and protected from rollback.
The event continued on 19 February with a press conference and debate in the Lithuanian Parliament hosted by WHO/Europe and the WHO Country Office in Lithuania. There, key insights from the Baltic Alcohol Policy Project were discussed and policy-makers were urged to sustain political support.
The 3-day event gained the interest of the Lithuanian media. Major media portals and television covered the topic, ensuring visibility to both policy-makers and the public.
Event notice
WHO/Europe is organizing a 3-day meeting on alcohol control policies in Lithuania, with focus on sharing and discussing success stories from the Baltic countries. The meeting aims to engage a wide audience and is therefore divided into three parts.
The first part of the meeting, scheduled for 17–18 February, will bring together a diverse group of alcohol policy stakeholders. Participants will include members of the EVID-ACTION Member State Focal Points Network, international alcohol researchers and representatives from Lithuanian institutions such as government ministries, universities, health institutes, nongovernmental organizations and professional unions. Youth representatives from the EVID-ACTION Youth Alcohol Network will also join. The focus will be on sharing lessons learned from the Baltic Alcohol Control Policy Project, a research initiative funded by the United States National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
Following this, on the morning of 19 February, WHO will host a media conference and session at the Lithuanian parliament on the “Impact of alcohol policies in Lithuania: insights from the Baltic Alcohol Policy Project (2020–2025)”. This high-level session will provide an overview of key insights gained from the project, demonstrating how alcohol control policies – such as taxation, availability and marketing measures – decrease all-cause mortality and reduce inequalities.
The language of the meeting will be English.
This page was updated on 24 January 2025 to reflect a change in the programme: the health taxes workshop will no longer take place.