About EHAA
Mission
The mission of EHAA is to unite Europe’s health and medical community to advocate for the implementation of effective prevention measures and scientifically supported alcohol policies; to challenge misleading narratives and promote accurate public understanding of alcohol’s health impacts; and to strengthen the role of health professionals as trusted voices in public discourse and policy development.
Through coordinated advocacy, data sharing, capacity-building and joint initiatives, EHAA works to support measurable progress in reducing alcohol consumption, preventing disease, injury and deaths, and protecting health and well-being across Europe.
Vision
EHAA’s vision is a Europe where alcohol-related harm is substantially reduced, where European and national public health policies are guided by the best available scientific evidence, and where health, equity and well-being are prioritised over commercial interests.
We envision a future in which coordinated, cross-disciplinary clinical leadership drives effective alcohol prevention, supports healthier social norms, protects high-risk populations, and contributes to longer, healthier lives for people in Europe.
EHAA seeks to serve as a trusted, transparent and inclusive platform that empowers health professionals, informs policymakers and politicians, and advances sustainable, health-centred approaches to alcohol across Europe.
History
EHAA originated from collaborative efforts to translate scientific evidence on alcohol harm into coordinated policy action in Europe. In December 2022, the World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe (WHO/Europe), together with the European Commission, launched the Evidence into Action Alcohol Project (EVID-Action) — an initiative designed to strengthen evidence uptake for effective alcohol policies, increase health literacy about alcohol harms and support implementation of best practices across EU Member States, Iceland, Norway and Ukraine as part of Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan.
Building on this initiative and sharing a common commitment to reducing alcohol harm, WHO/Europe and the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) convened the European Alcohol Health Alliance Symposium in Copenhagen in December 2024. During this meeting, representatives from 21 leading European medical and health professional organisations discussed the urgent need for a structured alliance to address alcohol-related harm through coordinated clinical and public health leadership. The symposium marked an important step toward creating a formal platform to strengthen the collective voice of health professionals in alcohol policy debates and action.
EHAA was officially launched on 8 May 2025 at the EASL Congress in Amsterdam, bringing together a coalition of health professional organisations committed to reducing alcohol-related diseases, injuries, and deaths across Europe. The launch highlighted the Alliance’s role in uniting expert organisations to advocate for evidence-based policies, raise awareness of alcohol’s health impacts, and support informed public health decision-making.
Today, EHAA brings together 27 member organisations representing more than two million health professionals across Europe, providing an independent, cross-disciplinary platform to advance prevention, strengthen policy action, and protect public health.
