Brewers of Europe

The Brewers of Europe, founded in 1958, and based in Brussels, the organisation is the voice of the European brewing sector to the European institutions and international organisations. 20 EU Member States, plus Norway, Switzerland and Turkey constitute its membership. In short the Brewers of Europe is an interest group for the brewing industry with the intention of promoting its aims and objectives. Ultimately its role is to influence policy and protect the business interests of brewers across europe.

According to PR Watch:

The European Commission "may be the victim of a carefully planned attack by representatives of the alcohol industry" to derail the adoption of a strategy to reduce the health effects of alcohol, warns Martin McKee, professor of European public health from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. McKee singles out a report commissioned by The Brewers of Europe and written by The Weinberg Group, a PR firm which was "previously involved in the tobacco industry's campaign to undermine evidence on the harmful effects of passive smoking and those by the chemical industry to challenge evidence on the harmful environmental effects of substances such as Agent Orange." The PR firm's report claims that "there is not enough evidence to substantiate a link between alcohol advertising and consumption" and that "violence is a subjective term which is fairly nebulous and elastic."

The Weinberg Group were recruited by the Brewers of Europe to counter the damaging recomendations of Dr Peter Anderson's report Alcohol in Europe commisioned by the European Commission to assess the extent and consequences of alcohol consumption in Europe. The Weinberg report was one part of an aggressive lobbying campaign to counter public health efforts to tackle the growing problems associated with alcohol related harm.

Affiliations

The Brewers of Europe are members of the :

• Worldwide Brewing Alliance.
• European Alcohol and Health Forum
• European Research Advisory Board

Members

Austria

• Verband der Brauereien Österreichs

Belgium

• Belgian Brewers

Cyprus

• Cyprus Brewers Association

Czech Republic

• Czech Beer and Malt Association

Denmark

• Bryggeriforeningen

Finland

• Panimoliitto

France

• Brasseurs de France

Germany

• Deutscher Brauer-Bund e.V.

Greece

• Greek Brewers' Association

Ireland

The Irish Brewers' Association

Italy

• Associazione degli Industriali della Birra e del Malto

Lithuania

• Lithuanian Breweries Association

Luxembourg

• Fédération des Brasseurs Luxembourgeois

Malta

• The Malta Federation of Industry

Netherlands

• Centraal Brouwerij Kantoor - CBK

Norway

• Norwegian Brewers (ASSOCIATE MEMBER)

Poland

• The Union of Brewing Industry Employers in Poland - Polish Brewers

Portugal

• Associação Portuguesa dos Produtores de Cerveja

Spain

• Cerveceros de España

Sweden

• Sveriges Bryggerier AB

Switzerland

• Swiss Breweries' Federation (ASSOCIATE MEMBER)

Turkey

• Beer and Malt Producers' Association of Turkey (ASSOCIATE MEMBER)

United Kingdom

• British Beer and Pub Association