To prevent alcohol problems in Europe by community actions--various national and regional contexts

The European transformation during the 1990s, concerning political, economic, social and cultural changes, has made alcohol policy in many countries very fragile and uncertain because of new social and economic conditions and decreasing power of national governments. On this background, regions, municipalities, nongovernmental organizations and the civic society are to play a more prominent role in the European alcohol policy arena. In December 1997 the first European research and evaluation symposium on community action alcohol programs was held in Malmö, Sweden. The themes were: Research-based evaluation of community action programs; The interaction between local, national, and European prevention strategies; Local programs in schools, workplaces, health sectors, primary health care, and other community contexts; The role of citizens' movements, consumer organizations, women's groups, and other voluntary organizations; Local political action. This paper is the first attempt to summarize the similarities and differences in the programs presented at the symposium.