Amsterdam Group

Established in 1990 the Amsterdam Group (TAG) is an organisation comprised of Europe's biggest alcohol producers. They work with governments and organisations in order to tackle problems associated with alcohol.

They describe their role as "encouraging responsible consumption and contributing to combating abuse.; promoting understanding and tracking research on biomedical and social issues; and safeguarding responsible commercial communications through effective self-regulation".

TAG has published two reports to the European Union in 1993 and 2000 which clearly show their opposition to the public health model. They state:

Evidence suggests that the prevalence of alcohol-related problems is not directly related to the average per capita consumption, but rather to problematic patterns of drinking.

Policies aimed at the reduction of overall per capita consumption (in the form of limiting the overall sales of alcoholic beverages through marketing and production restrictions and high taxation) does not address those who abuse the product.

The notion of individual responsibility for drinking behaviour needs to be stressed and that no collective regulation can ever replace individual responsibility.

Funding

The Amsterdam Group is funded entirely by alcohol producers, the primary sources of their revenue comes from the following companies:

Allied Domecq Bacardi Martini Berentzen Gruppe Diageo Pernod Ricard Heineken Interbrew Moet Hennessy Prips Ringners Remy Cointreau Scottish and Newcastle