Event highlights
From evidence to policy action in the Baltic states
WHO/Europe participated in the 51st Annual Symposium of the Kettil Bruun Society for Social and Epidemiological Research on Alcohol, held at Vytautas Magnus University in Kaunas, Lithuania. As part of the Symposium, WHO/Europe’s Alcohol, Illicit Drugs & Prison Health programme, together with the WHO country offices in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, co-organized a side event on alcohol labelling and policy action in the Baltic states. The event brought together researchers, policy-makers, public health institutes, civil society representatives and WHO colleagues to discuss how evidence on alcohol health warning labels can be translated into effective public health policy.
Creating space for dialogue between researchers and policy-makers
A dedicated session focused on alcohol labelling from a Baltic policy perspective. Representatives from the relevant ministries of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania shared updates on current alcohol policy priorities, legislative developments and implementation challenges.
Discussions highlighted that alcohol labelling is closely linked to broader alcohol-control measures, including restrictions on availability, advertising, age limits and the regulation of online sales and digital marketing. Participants emphasized the need for national and regional evidence, clear communication for decision-makers and practical support for the move from scientific evidence to legislation. Participants discussed key barriers to introducing or strengthening alcohol health warning labels, including European Union regulatory requirements, trade-related concerns, enforcement capacity and the need for clear technical specifications.
Evaluation challenges in alcohol labelling research
A second workshop organized by WHO/Europe explored ways to evaluate alcohol labelling policies in real-world conditions. Case studies from Australia, Canada, Ireland, Sweden and the United Kingdom showed that evaluation is often affected by policy delays, uneven rollout, data limitations, media attention, industry interference and imperfect comparison groups. Participants emphasized that implementation monitoring should be a core part of evaluation. This includes assessing whether labels are present, accurate, visible and consistently applied, alongside measuring outcomes such as awareness, recall, credibility, knowledge and public discussion.
Key takeaways
The event reinforced that effective alcohol labelling policy requires more than evidence of impact. It also needs clear legal and technical specifications, feasible enforcement mechanisms, strong communication and collaboration between researchers, policy-makers and civil society. Participants identified opportunities for further cooperation among the Baltic states, including sharing experience on European Union regulatory processes, developing common monitoring approaches, coordinating evidence generation and strengthening regional dialogue on alcohol labelling and wider alcohol policy.
Event notice
From 1–5 June 2026, WHO/Europe will join researchers, policy-makers, advocates and practitioners at the 51st Annual Symposium of the Kettil Bruun Society (KBS) for Social and Epidemiological Research on Alcohol at Vytautas Magnus University in Kaunas, Lithuania. Known for its collaborative and welcoming atmosphere, KBS brings together a diverse and global community committed to addressing alcohol-related harm through open dialogue and evidence-informed action. The Symposium emphasizes discussing pre-circulated papers, fostering in-depth dialogues and feedback among the research community.
WHO/Europe will contribute with several sessions and presentations across the programme, with a strong focus on translating alcohol labelling research into policy action in the Baltic region. This builds on WHO/Europe’s broader work on alcohol health-warning labels and consumer information policies, such as technical guidance and evidence reviews on alcohol labelling practices, implementation barriers and policy options across the WHO European Region.
As part of a dedicated side event, WHO/Europe will invite policy-makers from the Baltic countries to join the programme and facilitate structured dialogue between the KBS research community and policy-makers in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
The side event builds directly on the WHO-supported Baltic Alcohol Control Policy Project. The project was launched in 2020 to help the Baltic countries better understand how alcohol policies affect people’s health and wider social and economic well-being. It found that evidence-based alcohol policies reduced mortality across the Baltic countries, especially among men and people from lower socioeconomic groups, while also helping to narrow health inequalities. It also demonstrated that implementation of the 3 WHO “Best Buys” for alcohol, namely increased excise taxation, restrictions on alcohol availability and marketing bans, delivered measurable public health gains.
The event’s 3 objectives are to expose Baltic policy-makers to the current state of alcohol labelling research; surface the practical questions and evidence needs that policy-makers face when considering implementing legislation, with a particular focus on labelling policies; and build relationships between researchers, policy-makers and WHO/Europe that can support evidence-informed policy processes in the Baltic region going forward.
WHO/Europe’s presence at KBS 2026 underscores its commitment to advancing evidence-based policy-making in the Region. With the Baltic countries having made remarkable progress on alcohol policy in recent years, this side event offers a timely opportunity to strengthen the evidence-to-policy pathway on alcohol labelling, connecting science with practice and supporting a coordinated regional response to alcohol-related harm.