This article was originally published on 16 March 2023 in euractiv.com
https://www.euractiv.com/section/energy-environment/opinion/europes-sustainable-packaging-rules-should-be-bold-and-fair/

Packaging plays an essential role in protecting products during storage and transport, ensuring their quality and providing information about contents and usage. However, packaging waste takes its toll on the environment. Europeans generate an average of 180kg of packaging waste a year, and the European Commission estimates that without action, this would rise by 19% by 2030.

Pierre-Olivier Bergeron is the Secretary General at The Brewers of Europe.

In the brewing sector, we have innovated and invested over many years to ensure our packaging becomes ever more sustainable, which is why we support the broad aims of the Commission’s proposals to cut packaging waste. 

The Commission’s draft Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) covers different containers, with a particular focus on beverage packaging. It aims to “tackle this constantly growing source of waste and of consumer frustration” as it seeks to ensure all packaging be reusable or recyclable by 2030. This could be one of the most significant pieces of EU environmental legislation of this Commission, which explains why Environment Ministers are debating the issue this week and four European Parliament committees are working on the PPWR.

As brewers, we not only understand but embrace these aims. Leading by example, brewers have a core belief that whilst making beer, we can have a positive impact on the planet. We take our responsibility to limit the environmental impact of beer packaging throughout the lifecycle by reducing, reusing and recycling. We support the circular economy and the systems intended to ensure containers be returned and don’t go to landfill or end up as litter. 

We are part of the solution, but need legislation to be proportionate, well-targeted, non-discriminatory, and coherent. 

What does that mean concretely? 

Proportionate: a sustainable brewery with one filling line and selling all its beer in recyclable cans that are collected and recycled through a well-functioning return system should not have to rush through investments in an expensive additional bottling line just to meet new producer-level reuse targets.  

Well-targeted: a well-functioning national return system, for reuse or recycling of beer containers, that already functions sustainably and exceeds targets, should not be disrupted by new EU governance structures or cannibalised by a need to meet other arbitrary targets in the PPWR. Countries and individual companies are at differing starting points on the balance between reuse and recycling, often linked directly to the local beer culture and the business structure of the operator in question.

Non-discriminatory: A container is a container and the rules should be agnostic towards its content. Competing beverage sectors must not be granted a priori EU-mandated exemptions from reuse targets and obligations around deposit return systems. Non-discrimination, which is a general principle of EU law and, regarding beer, acknowledged by the European Court of Justice, allows for products to be treated differently only if justified by objective reasons. 

Coherent: The overall objectives of the EU Single market and Green Deal must be recalled when assessing each measure. For example, beer kegs and the volumes they hold must be taken into account when measuring progress against reuse targets – a 50-litre beer keg cannot be treated as a comparable unit to a 20cl bottle or a 33cl can. Equally, for deposit systems to function optimally, priority on-label must be given to the deposit logo over any other packaging handling instructions that ultimately may distract the consumer from returning the package through the right system.

While meeting targets and obligations will be a challenge and we will need time for necessary adaptations, the brewing sector’s commitment to a sustainable future for beer is real. We recognise our responsibility to continue to deliver, within a good functioning EU Single Market and an ambitious EU-wide environmental sustainability agenda, including for packaging and packaging waste.

However, for all the noble aims of the PPWR proposals, there are elements in the draft that are problematic. Some brewers, both big and small, would have to create new packaging lines purely to meet targets, even if the environmental cost was not justified. Well-functioning systems are not being ringfenced from the impact of one-size-fits all solutions proposed in the EU Regulation. Brewers, for the simple reason they are leaders in packaging sustainability, are being discriminated against versus their closest competitors on the market. Labels may be overcrowded with multiple logos that distract from the only information the consumer needs – a deposit can be redeemed against this package. Despite kegs perhaps being the ultimate sustainable packaging solution – a large container reused time and again over more than thirty years before being recycled – they risk being discouraged in order for misplaced targets to be met.

Even once these concerns are met, brewers cannot overnight change packaging equipment and distribution schemes. It is crucial therefore that appropriate transition periods, of on average five years, kick in not just after adoption of primary legislation but also after each implementing act, many of which will determine exactly how each operator needs to adjust its business to deliver on the objectives.

We expect these to be amongst the issues MEPs and ministers continue to discuss when they debate the PPWR, including in the Environment Council.

Last week, the European Parliament Beer Club held a special briefing on the PPWR. The experts included its President MEP Ivan Štefanec, the Vice Chair of the Parliament’s Intergroup on Climate Change MEP Franc Bogovič and Cor Waringa from The Brewers of Europe, as well as the European Commission’s Director for the Circular Economy in DG Environment, Aurel Ciobanu-Dordea. 

Mr Ciobanu-Dordea recognised that brewers are pioneers in recycling and reuse. “I encourage the beer sector to remain champions of sustainability.” He also recognised that there is scope to amend provisions in the proposal. “We will reflect on your arguments,” he said.

We are grateful for the Commission’s willingness to review these elements. We look forward to working further with the Commission, EU Member States and the European Parliament to ensure a final Regulation that is proportionate, well-targeted, non-discriminatory and coherent. 

Contact:

Simon Spillane, Communications and Public Affairs Director, sws@brewersofeurope.org, @brewersofeurope

About The Brewers of Europe:

Based in Brussels, The Brewers of Europe brings together national brewers’ associations from 29 European countries and provides a voice to support the united interests of Europe’s 10,000+ breweries. The Brewers of Europe promotes the positive role played by beer and the brewing sector in Europe and advocates the creation of the right conditions to allow brewers to continue to freely, cost-effectively and responsibly brew and market beer across Europe. Follow us on Twitter and visit our website.

17 March 2023

Dear Mrs. Gallina, 

The undersigned organizations would like to reiterate our support to the Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) methodology for the agrifood sector and derived products in view of the expected green claims initiative and future sustainable labelling framework for B2C communication. 

We support the development of an EU-harmonised legislative framework proposal based on the PEF methodology to substantiate environmental footprint claims or labelling scheme. This legislative framework should set minimum requirements for the voluntary communication of product environmental footprint information. 

We believe that the green claims legislative proposal should foster harmonization across the markets in the EU in order to: 

• increase consumers understanding and trust in product environmental footprint information; 
• create a level playing field for industry and companies wanting to measure and communicate about their environmental benefits and impacts; 
• help drive a real shift towards more sustainable products (in line with the EC green deal and 2020 CEAP); 
• facilitate the verification of the scientific substantiation from authorities behind environmental footprint claims across the EU. 

When an approved set of Product Environmental Footprint Category Rules (PEFCRs) are available to a sector, we believe the legislative proposal framework should indicate that the methodology rules are the ones that shall be followed. In addition, existing PEFCR's rules should serve as the benchmark to other methodologies and datasets. If a variety of methodologies would be lawfully available to operators to substantiate their environmental footprint claims, this would strongly undermine the European Commission’s objective of halting confusing and misleading green claims in sectors that have committed to developing a PEFCR and ultimately can lead to a less sustainable economy. 

We understand that the scope of the green claims initiative will not include B2B communication on intermediate products. The transmission of information on environmental performance of these intermediate products is essential to facilitate the transition to more sustainable food systems including derived products and the PEF method and the related PEFCR should also be recognised as the reference method to support such communication in through labelling, in compliance with existing specific sectorial legal framework for labelling concerning intermediate products. 

Our sectors are proud to have partnered with the European Commission to support the development of the PEFCRs methodology (pilot phase) and are currently in the process of updating the 2018 PEFCRs using the most recent set of data provided by the EC. By doing so, we demonstrate our commitment to support the European Union’s sustainability strategy, in particular the sustainable food system framework. We would also like to support any additional initiative in favour of PEFCRs practical implementation, including communication to consumers. 

Yours sincerely,

The Brewers of Europe 
The European Pet Food Association 
Confederation of National Associations of Tanners and Dressers of the European Community 
The European Feed Manufacturers' Federation 
The European Dairy Association 

Download the lettter here.

Contact:

Simon Spillane, Communications and Public Affairs Director, sws@brewersofeurope.org, @brewersofeurope

About The Brewers of Europe:

Based in Brussels, The Brewers of Europe brings together national brewers’ associations from 29 European countries and provides a voice to support the united interests of Europe’s 10,000+ breweries. The Brewers of Europe promotes the positive role played by beer and the brewing sector in Europe and advocates the creation of the right conditions to allow brewers to continue to freely, cost-effectively and responsibly brew and market beer across Europe. Follow us on Twitter and visit our website.

We thank you for taking the time to answer the questions. With your answers, The Brewers of Europe can make sure your voice is heard by policy makers when developing policies that could impact the brewing sector. In the light of upcoming EU policies (e.g. a new Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation that will set new mandatory rules for beer and brewers), the output from this survey can inform policy makers and other actors to develop ambitious, yet feasible legislation.  

The survey focuses on 5 main topics: packaging, Greenhouse Gas Emissions (Direct & Indirect), energy, water efficiency and secondary products.

Who is conducting this research?

Coordinating this research is Greenfish, an independent third party, subject to a non-disclosure agreement. Greenfish will handle the provided data anonymously. The Brewers of Europe will use the resulting, anonymised, and aggregated sector statistics in internal and external communication. To gather more in-depth information about best practices, Greenfish will contact selected breweries for a short interview. If your case study is selected as best practice, you will be contacted for approval. There will also be opportunities for The Brewers of Europe to highlight specific company best practises in its communications.

Timing

The survey is to be completed no later than the 20^th of January 2023. Please note that the estimated time to complete the survey is 20 minutes but will depend on how readily available your data is.

We highly appreciate your contribution in making this project a success.

Brussels, December 8, 2022 - Europe’s beer sector is optimistic about returning to its pre-pandemic heights in 2023, The Brewers of Europe Secretary General Pierre-Olivier Bergeron said today at the ninth edition of Beer Serves Europe in Brussels.

Mr Bergeron said the beer sector remained positive in its outlook as it recovered from the pandemic-induced lockdowns, despite rising energy costs and the more recent disruptions to key supply chains, including grain, glass and even the carbon dioxide needed for bottling.

In a keynote address, Guillaume Couture, CEO of Malteries Soufflet, one of the world’s leading producers of barley malt, a key ingredient in most beers, gave his perspectives on the mutual dependence of brewers and maltsters and the knock-on effect the energy crisis was having throughout the beer value chain, from grain to glass. Mr Bergeron reminded guests at Beer Serves Europe IX that, throughout that chain, beer creates an estimated 2.3 million jobs, over €55 billion in value added and more than €40 billion in government tax revenues annually.

Mr Bergeron also revealed the latest figures showing a slight uptick in EU beer production in 2021, up by 1.6 billion to 34.3 billion litres when compared to 2020, although that was still well down on pre-pandemic levels.

Consumption has also continued to evolve as Europe’s beer renaissance develops with increased innovation and growing choice for consumers. Indeed, at a recent event in Brussels, The Brewers of Europe was able to serve up a selection of forty different non-alcoholic beers, reflecting the growing diversity in this category where non-alcoholic beer now represents over 5% of the EU beer market.

Whilst brewery numbers are no longer increasing at quite the same pace, with the closure of bars and restaurants during the last two years taking its toll on the brewers dependent on these venues to reach their consumers, there are now an estimated 9500 breweries operating in the EU, innovating to meet consumer demand.

Even though the brewing sector faces several challenges, brewers remain upbeat as they forge a sustainable future for the sector. “The past three years have been challenging for all of us involved in brewing,” Mr Bergeron said. “The multiple lockdowns put a lot of breweries at risk. However, I am confident that, as we recover and innovate, we will be able to grow again. Furthermore, we will do so sustainably, as we put in place more and more environmentally friendly practises.”

Commemorating the current Czech Presidency of the EU, Beer Serves Europe IX also paid tribute to the contribution of beer to the Czech society and economy, and the key role that Czech brewers have played in the evolution of beer culture globally. A keynote address was delivered by Tomáš Slunečko, Senior Agricultural Secretary and Chair of the Council Working Party on Food & Food Systems, whilst Martina Ferencová, Executive Director of the Czech Beer & Malt Association closed the academic session by inviting guests to a reception supported by the Czech brewers.

Beer Serves Europe IX included a moderated debate entitled “Beyond crisis management: a sustainable pathway for Europe’s beer sector” where other guests were invited to join the panel, including Ivan Štefanec, Member of the European Parliament; Mattia Pellegrini, DG Environment at the European Commission; Drahomira Mandíková, Asahi Europe & International; and Harry Foster, The RepTrak Company.

In his remarks on circularity, Mr Bergeron cited the numerous sustainability initiatives by brewers across Europe to reduce beer’s environmental footprint, including in packaging. “We take our responsibility seriously to limit the environmental impact of packaging throughout the life-cycle, reducing, reusing and recycling our beer packaging,” he said.

In the wake of the European Commission’s November 30 proposal for a Regulation on Packaging and Packaging Waste, Mr Bergeron said, “Europe’s brewers are looking forward to working with Member States and the European Parliament to ensure legislation that is proportionate, well-targeted, non-discriminatory and coherent.”

With 30 billion litres of beer consumed in the EU in 2021, it is clear that Europe’s brewers have a bright future ahead of them. By conducting its business responsibly, sustainably, inclusively and creatively, the brewing sector is sure to continue serving European culture, society and the economy

Watch the video

Stay in the conversation
#BeerServesEurope

Contact:

Simon Spillane, Communications and Public Affairs Director, sws@brewersofeurope.org, @brewersofeurope

About The Brewers of Europe:

Based in Brussels, The Brewers of Europe brings together national brewers’ associations from 29 European countries and provides a voice to support the united interests of Europe’s 10,000+ breweries. The Brewers of Europe promotes the positive role played by beer and the brewing sector in Europe and advocates the creation of the right conditions to allow brewers to continue to freely, cost-effectively and responsibly brew and market beer across Europe. Follow us on Twitter and visit our website.

Europe’s brewers support minimising packaging’s impact on the environment and will now work together with the European Parliament and Member States to ensure a final Regulation that is proportionate, well-targeted, non-discriminatory and coherent

Europe’s brewers have a strong track record in packaging sustainability, taking their responsibility to limit the environmental impact of beer packaging throughout the life-cycle, reducing, reusing and recycling our packaging.

We therefore support the overall objective to minimise packaging’s impact on the environment and recognise the hard work and time that the European Commission has put in to come forward with a proposal moving from a Directive to an ambitious EU Regulation on what is a complex topic.

We will now work together with Member States and the European Parliament with the objective to ensure a final Regulation that is:

• Proportionate: Overly prescriptive rules or governance should not provoke the dismantling of well-functioning existing collection systems, be they well-established reuse systems set up by the brewers in many countries or efficient recycling collection systems set up in others;
• Well-targeted: Recalling the objectives set out in the EU Circular Economy Action Plan to make “all packaging reusable or recyclable in an economically viable way”, setting reuse targets at EU level can address the reality that different countries are at varying starting points with regard to the balance between reuse and recycling;
• Non-discriminatory: The brewing sector should not be discriminated against and it would be neither legally nor environmentally justified to a priori grant an EU-mandated exemption, from reuse targets or mandatory DRS, for other alcoholic beverages;
• Coherent: Whilst there remain uncertainties as a number of important decisions will be defined through secondary legislation, it will be important that issues such as the methodology for measuring progress recognise that, for example, a 50l beer keg cannot be treated as a comparable unit to a bottle or can.

Whilst meeting the targets and obligations laid down in any final legislation will be a challenge, the brewing sector’s commitment to a sustainable future for beer is real. We recognise the responsibility we have to deliver, within a good functioning EU Single Market, on an ambitious EU-wide environmental sustainability agenda, including for packaging and packaging waste.

Contact:

Simon Spillane, Communications and Public Affairs Director, sws@brewersofeurope.org, @brewersofeurope

About The Brewers of Europe:

Based in Brussels, The Brewers of Europe brings together national brewers’ associations from 29 European countries and provides a voice to support the united interests of Europe’s 10,000+ breweries. The Brewers of Europe promotes the positive role played by beer and the brewing sector in Europe and advocates the creation of the right conditions to allow brewers to continue to freely, cost-effectively and responsibly brew and market beer across Europe. Follow us on Twitter and visit our website.

Useful links:

• EU Beer Pledge website - https://pledge.brewersofeurope.eu
• PDF - Key results from the Beer Pledge and IPSOS reports
• Video - Key results from the Beer Pledge and IPSOS reports
• Read more about beer labelling - https://beerwisdom.eu

Contact:

Simon Spillane, Communications and Public Affairs Director, sws@brewersofeurope.org, @brewersofeurope

About The Brewers of Europe:

Based in Brussels, The Brewers of Europe brings together national brewers’ associations from 29 European countries and provides a voice to support the united interests of Europe’s 10,000+ breweries. The Brewers of Europe promotes the positive role played by beer and the brewing sector in Europe and advocates the creation of the right conditions to allow brewers to continue to freely, cost-effectively and responsibly brew and market beer across Europe. Follow us on Twitter and visit our website.

Our four leading European beverage associations (AIJN – European Fruit Juice Association, The Brewers of Europe, Natural Mineral Waters Europe, UNESDA Soft Drinks Europe) are united in expressing our profound concern at the mandatory targets the European Commission intends to set for the reuse of our beverage containers.

According to recently obtained information regarding the upcoming revision of the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive, the Commission may propose to set discriminatory reuse targets for our beverage packaging already at 20% by 2030 and then as high as 75% by 2040, to be imposed at national level and observed by each individual manufacturer. If imposed, these disproportionate and unjustified high targets would have a deep impact on our respective sectors, also forming an existential threat to our many SMEs. They would furthermore lead to the dismantling of a number of highly effective, existing recycling systems.

The financial cost of implementing such a dramatic reorientation in such a short space of time would be astronomically high. Established business models across Europe would inevitably and rapidly become unsustainable. Furthermore, the European Commission is assuming that high targets will lead to rapid consumer uptake. There is no evidence thereof.

While our sectors already have reusable packaging as part of the mix and are committed to increasing the offer of reusable beverage systems with the right policy measures in place, the reuse targets as currently formulated are unrealistic and incoherent. They overlook the ongoing huge efforts and investments that we are already making towards achieving packaging circularity through increased recyclability and collection of our beverage packaging and the use of more recycled content. Most importantly, there has been no environmental impact assessment indicating that these targets would achieve their supposed intention of protecting the environment.

In recent years, our sectors have worked tirelessly to ensure we are using 100% recyclable packaging and increased levels of recycled content in our packaging, and we have campaigned for measures to increase recycling rates. Reusable packaging is not de facto the only sustainable option as is now being suggested by the European Commission. It is part of the circularity solution as a complementary action to recycling and reducing beverage packaging in a reasonable manner.

Patricia Fosselard, Secretary General, Natural Mineral Waters Europe: “Our sector is already achieving high rates of collection for recycling and is steadily progressing towards full circularity. Introducing unrealistically high reuse rates will significantly compromise this progress and jeopardise the sector, while the environmental benefit of this policy measure is yet to be demonstrated.”

Nicholas Hodac, Director General, UNESDA Soft Drinks Europe: ‘’Over the last years, we have been investing into more recyclability, more collection, more recycling, and more reuse to make our packaging fully circular by 2030. It is totally incomprehensible that the European Commission is disregarding it and asking us to switch entirely to reuse. We can achieve the Commission’s goal in a much more realistic way that is less harmful for the industry and that makes sense for the environment.’’

Wouter Lox, Secretary-General, AIJN – European Fruit Juice Association: “Reuse should be seen as a complement to recycling, not as a substitute. Our sectors wish to continue paving the way for full packaging circularity, but that can only be achieved through the right enablers in place.”

Pierre-Olivier Bergeron, Secretary General, The Brewers of Europe: “There are more than ten thousand breweries in the EU, aiming to have a positive impact on the economy, people and the planet. Central to the circular European economy, our progress goes hand in hand with the aims of the Green Deal. Through our packaging and investment in effective systems, we have demonstrated that reuse and recycling need to be seen as complementary approaches to improving drinks’ packaging’s environmental performance.”

Together, our four associations represent thousands of businesses in the beverage value chain. We recognise and support the positive steps the European Commission is taking towards increased circularity, but we call upon the Commission to rethink its approach and to look at environmental policy as an opportunity to accelerate the circular economy for beverage packaging through enablers that support industrial policy.

## ENDS ##

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AIJN – European Fruit Juice Association

Since 1962, AIJN – European Fruit Juice Association has been representing the interests of the entire fruit juice supply chain, from fruit processors to packers of consumer products. AIJN provides a platform for members to build international coalitions by coordinating collective actions and finding sector-specific solutions. AIJN’s current membership consists of 18 national associations as Full Members, 1 national association as Associated Member and 22 businesses as Observer Members. https://aijn.eu/en

Marton Gellert, Public Affairs & Communications Manager, +32 2 235 06 26, marton.gellert@aijn.eu

The Brewers of Europe

Uniting 29 national associations, The Brewers of Europe provides a voice in Brussels to promote beer and represent the interests of Europe’s 10,000+ breweries. https://brewersofeurope.eu

Simon Spillane, Director – Communications & Public Affairs, +32 2 551 18 10, sws@brewersofeurope.eu

Natural Mineral Waters Europe

Natural Mineral Waters Europe has been the voice of natural mineral water and spring water since 1953. Today, we represent 550 producers who provide European consumers with unique, healthy and high-quality products. Pioneers in environmental custodianship, our members have a long tradition of working in partnership with local communities to safeguard the ecosystem around water resources. Our sustainability mission now extends to achieving full circularity for all packaging. www.nmwe.org

John McLean, Communications Manager, +32 460 97 86 49, john.mclean@nmwe.org

UNESDA Soft Drinks Europe

Established in 1958, UNESDA Soft Drinks Europe is the Brussels-based trade association representing the non-alcoholic beverages sector. Its membership comprises of 10 companies and 23 national associations from across Europe. UNESDA members are involved in the production and/or distribution of a wide variety of non-alcoholic beverages 3 including still drinks, carbonates, fruit drinks, energy drinks, iced teas and sports drinks.  UNESDA’s policy priorities are sustainability (e.g. beverage packaging, collection, recycling), responsibility (e.g. sugar reduction, school policies, marketing practices towards children and labelling) and competitiveness (e.g. taxation, market access). www.unesda.eu

Inês Rebelo, Communications Manager, +32 477 860 901, irebelo@unesda.eu

Brussels – June 29, 2022 – Europe’s brewers could help drive the recovery from the Covid pandemic if decision-makers adopt the right measures to support the sector, The Brewers of Europe announced today.

As Europeans look ahead to their first summer in three years without Covid-19 restrictions on the hospitality sector and events, brewers are hopeful of a bounce back to pre-pandemic growth.

Commenting on Europe Economics’ new Covid impact report, The Brewers of Europe said that while beer hospitality has slowly been recovering from the pandemic, it is still in a precarious position. With appropriate support measures, brewers can however lead the way, reviving the economy.

Published on June 29, the Covid Impact Report reveals that, in 2021, there were shoots of recovery but the brewing sector saw only moderate increases in beer sales, as the hospitality sector failed to return to pre-pandemic levels. While 2021 saw the gradual return of European tourists in the summer, it also saw more hospitality shutdowns, strict opening rules, travel restrictions, vaccination and testing requirements and constantly changing rules, all combining to drive revenues down.

The report shows 2021 beer sales in bars, pubs and restaurants were still down by 35% on 2019, leaving the overall beer market still 8% down on pre-Covid levels.

Given the important contribution of beer to the European economy and the far-reaching connections throughout the beer value chain, the pandemic’s impact on brewing had knock-on effects on all the jobs, value-added and government revenues generated throughout the beer chain. And while Covid-19’s impact may be receding, the European economy is now facing new, additional pressures which will affect consumer spending and place greater financial burdens and uncertainty on many businesses.

As brewing and hospitality work to get back to where they were, much is at stake for the wider economy. Numbers from 2021 show that beer has a strong potential to drive Europe's recovery, with the moderate growth still helping more than half the lost jobs to return and an additional €4 billion in taxes to be generated. A full recovery to pre-pandemic levels however can:-

• return a further €6.2 billion in value-added to the economy
• retrieve 254,000 more jobs
• bring in a further €6 billion in tax revenues for governments

 

Watch the video Discover how beer hospitality can support the European recovery

Discover the infographics Beer has further potential to drive Europe's recovery

 

Pierre-Olivier Bergeron, Secretary General of The Brewers of Europe said the report shows the positive signs are there for the beer hospitality sector but more needs to be done. “This is still a difficult moment for the brewing and hospitality sectors and we cannot take anything for granted. Brewers have endured tough times, lasting far longer than anyone expected. We have only recovered part of what we lost,” he said.

“Pre-pandemic, beer created 2.6 million jobs in Europe. We can rebuild all along the brewing, production and hospitality value chain. We can help drive consumer demand and boost consumer confidence. Bars and pubs can once again become pillars of the local community – and with it, the economy. But we need support. If policymakers are to nurture the sector – and see a return of tax revenues – they should be aware that many brewers still face huge battles to recover. With the right support, including through targeted fiscal measures, brewers and hospitality can once again become positive contributors to the economy, culture, society and the European way of life.”

In contrast to the fortunes of wines and spirits, the Covid Impact Report shows beer production in 2021 in the Eurozone was still 11% below 2019 levels, reflecting beer’s close connections to hospitality, the local rootedness of brewing and beer’s perishable nature. Furthermore, with 2021 off-trade sales of beer in shops only 6% higher than 2019 numbers, it is clear that beer consumption remains closely tied to socialising and the community function of pubs, bars and restaurants.

The residual impact of the pandemic is being felt in 2022 as supply chains are pressured notably by the ongoing war in Ukraine and impending food security crisis. Brewers are facing challenges from energy prices, raw materials costs, glass supply, driver shortages and other global supply chain issues.

While overall beer volumes may return, it still remains unclear how quickly cafés, pubs, bars and restaurants – which previously represented one-third of overall beer sales – will return to pre-Covid conditions. This will have an effect on the structure of the beer market and its overall impact.

Still, brewers are naturally resourceful and positive people. We believe we can find solutions. The worst of the Covid pandemic is over: now is the time to start rebuilding. And, to coin a phrase, build back better.

Useful links:

• Economic report to assess the impact of Covid-19 on the brewing sector in 2020-21
• Infographics: Beer hospitality has further potential to drive Europe’s recovery
• Discover how beer hospitality can support the European recovery on https://reconnect.beer

Contact:

Simon Spillane, Communications and Public Affairs Director, sws@brewersofeurope.org, @brewersofeurope

About The Brewers of Europe:

Based in Brussels, The Brewers of Europe brings together national brewers’ associations from 29 European countries and provides a voice to support the united interests of Europe’s 10,000+ breweries. The Brewers of Europe promotes the positive role played by beer and the brewing sector in Europe and advocates the creation of the right conditions to allow brewers to continue to freely, cost-effectively and responsibly brew and market beer across Europe. Follow us on Twitter and visit our website.

More than 1,000 brewers, suppliers, policymakers, consumer groups and others have gathered for three days in Madrid for the 2022 European Brewers Forum and the 38^th Congress of the European Brewery Convention (EBC).

As the 2022 Forum draws to a close The Brewers of Europe Secretary General Pierre-Olivier Bergeron said the Forum demonstrated the resilience of the beermaking sector. “Our event here in Madrid is proof that brewers are ready to face the challenges and use them to build new foundations,” he said. “We are creative, adaptable and resourceful. I could not be prouder of brewers. I look forward to seeing you all again, plus many more, at the next Brewers Forum, which will take place in Prague, Czech Republic, from 21 to 23 May, 2023.”

The Brewers Forum and EBC Congress will come to an end this evening with a birthday dinner to celebrate the 75^th anniversary of the EBC. Drawing parallels with the uncertain times faced by brewers in 1947, the year of the EBC’s creation, EBC President Benet Fité in his closing speech will note: “The brewing sector is at its best when brewers come together in solidarity, to share ideas, find solutions and face the challenges together. What this Forum and Congress have definitely shown us is what we have missed over the last two years – the precious opportunities to meet and debate in person, over a beer. We leave these busy three days tired, but invigorated.”

The Madrid event featured some 40 different sessions examining a broad variety of topics ranging from recycling and recovery to innovative brewing techniques, marketing and packaging. Sustainability was a key theme, with the Forum being one of the Official Partner Events of the European Union’s annual Green Week, as many speakers shared their experiences of reducing, reusing, cutting and recycling.

With the Forum taking place in the European country with the biggest non-alcohol beer market – well over ten percent of overall Spanish beer consumption - other well attended sessions looked at non-alcohol beer, the differing styles, production methods and marketing strategies behind it.

The event saw the big screen unveiling of Brewing Ambition (http://brewingambition.eu), a new film series produced by BBC StoryWorks Commercial Productions for The Brewers of Europe that explores tales of flavour, legacy and longevity in the beer industry, told by the enthusiasts who are continually raising the bar.

As part of EU Diversity Month the Forum also saw the public unveiling of a new Diversity, Equity and Inclusion work stream of The Brewers of Europe which seeks to raise awareness of the issues through tools and webinars on a new platform http://brewingtogether.eu.  

Finally, The Brewers of Europe’s General Assembly also met in person for the first time since 2019 and re-elected its President Lasse Aho (CEO of Olvi Group) for a second mandate, whilst also electing two new Vice-Presidents, Jonathan Neame (CEO of Shepherd Neame) and Paolo Lanzarotti (CEO of Asahi Europe and International).

Stay in the conversation

#BrewersMadrid2022 #BrewingGreen #Brewing4EU #EUGreenWeek #BrewingAmbition

Contact:

Simon Spillane, Communications and Public Affairs Director, sws@brewersofeurope.org, @brewersofeurope

About The Brewers of Europe:

Based in Brussels, The Brewers of Europe brings together national brewers’ associations from 29 European countries and provides a voice to support the united interests of Europe’s 10,000+ breweries. The Brewers of Europe promotes the positive role played by beer and the brewing sector in Europe and advocates the creation of the right conditions to allow brewers to continue to freely, cost-effectively and responsibly brew and market beer across Europe. Follow us on Twitter and visit our website.

Brewers, suppliers, policymakers, consumer groups and many others are able once again to come together to celebrate beer, debate the challenges facing the sector and discuss the solutions as brewing pursues its hard-fought recovery from the Covid crisis.

The joint Brewers Forum and EBC Congress is also an opportunity to jointly celebrate the 100th birthday of the Spanish Brewers’ Association, Cerveceros de España and the 75th anniversary of the European Brewery Convention (EBC).

Speaking at the official inauguration, The Brewers of Europe Vice President, Christian Weber, will note how the event is taking place at a time when Europe is still only just starting to exit a difficult two-year period of society lockdowns and shutdowns of the hospitality and cultural sectors placing untold pressures on hundreds of thousands of businesses. “This situation put a lot of breweries at risk,” he will remind the Forum Plenary. “Our direct supplies to customers were severely impacted for months, and the hospitality sector has suffered a lot, let alone our consumers. However, we were able to overcome this difficult time due to a great deal of concrete solidarity across the entire beer value chain.”

Weber will note that cafés, bars, pubs and restaurants continue to face staff shortages, while at the supply end, brewers have seen further price hikes and shortages in energy, raw materials, and packaging over recent months as war has once again returned to the European continent. “These days, we are all looking not just for Plan B but Plan C, D, E and so on. Because, sometimes, the durability of our breweries is also at stake,” he will say. However, Weber remains upbeat: “Never underestimate the resilience capacity of brewers! Finding new solutions, just as we do, for example, in the demanding field of environmental sustainability, is our common passion,” he will conclude.

In his address, EBC President Benet Fité will compare the current crisis with Europe’s rebuilding after the Second World War. Just like then, there is now a raw materials crisis that threatens to devastate industries like the brewing sector. “In 1947 the EBC was set up and brewers found solutions by coming together to develop and improve raw materials and the brewing process,” he will say. “Brewers worked at brewing better beer, using less but better-quality raw materials and fewer resources. In a way, sustainability was already part of the brewing sector’s DNA 75 years ago, when the EBC was created.”

Fité will appeal to brewers to once again unite and show their resilience and resourcefulness in the face of unprecedented challenges. “We need to do more together to find new solutions. That can only happen through collaboration, innovation and research sharing,” he will say.

The post-Covid strains on the brewing sector are being further exacerbated by the ongoing devastation in Ukraine. A human tragedy first and foremost, the war is also disrupting economic, energy supply and food systems for both Europe and the wider world. The brewing sector has in recent years pursued a variety of new ideas to become more sustainable and more responsible. One of the Official Partner Events of the European Union’s annual Green Week, the Forum is set to show how brewing can continue to re-invent itself to become more innovative, sustainable, responsible, inclusive and rewarding.

Kicking off with a session on environmental sustainability, the event will feature over ten hours of debate on “brewing green”, including some of the biggest names in beermaking showcasing the latest innovations and developments in brewing science and research. Attendees over three intense days can follow more than 30 different seminars, presentations and workshops covering issues ranging from recycling and recovery to innovative brewing techniques, to marketing and storytelling, to company diversity, equity and inclusion policies.

As people come together physically, the Forum will be an opportunity for brewers and our friends to once again collectively look to the future with optimism, creativity and solidarity.

Stay in the conversation

#BrewersMadrid2022 #BrewingGreen #Brewing4EU #EUGreenWeek #BrewingAmbition

Contact:

Simon Spillane, Communications and Public Affairs Director, sws@brewersofeurope.org, @brewersofeurope

About The Brewers of Europe:

Based in Brussels, The Brewers of Europe brings together national brewers’ associations from 29 European countries and provides a voice to support the united interests of Europe’s 12,000 breweries. The Brewers of Europe promotes the positive role played by beer and the brewing sector in Europe and advocates the creation of the right conditions to allow brewers to continue to freely, cost-effectively and responsibly brew and market beer across Europe. Follow us on Twitter and visit our website.

Produced by BBC StoryWorks Commercial Productions for The Brewers of Europe, the Brewing Ambition series explores the tales of flavour, legacy and longevity in the beer industry, told by the enthusiasts who are continually raising the bar.

Evidence of early human brewing can be traced back thousands of years, from carvings in ancient coastal caves to stone tablets revealing recipes, brewing techniques, and depicting communal gatherings around beer.  The same raw materials can lead to hundreds of different beer styles and seemingly endless possibilities for adaptation, from innovative brewing techniques to unusual ingredients to non-alcoholic offerings, making it an enduring and exciting craft for beer drinkers and those in the industry who are passionate about what they do.

The Brewing Ambition series launches on 26^th May with a collection of tales from different stages of the beer-making process from around the world. Brewing Ambition explores this iconic beverage from many different angles; spanning fermentation and infusion to barley fields and beer taps. Many of these stories also explore how brewers are focusing on sustainability, looking ahead to the scalable solutions being established for the future of brewing.

You can explore this fascinating series and the power of beer from Thursday 26^th May here: www.brewingambition.eu

Simon Shelley, vice president of BBC StoryWorks Programme Partnerships said: “We set out to explore the huge contribution beer makes to our culture, economies, and hospitality industries. What we found through creating this series for The Brewers of Europe is passionate and innovative brewers evolving an ancient process for the benefit of people and the planet. We’re excited for global audiences to consume these extraordinary stories from ambitious breweries in spectacular settings.”

Pierre-Olivier Bergeron, secretary general of The Brewers of Europe, said: “BBC StoryWorks is famous for its quality of documentary-style film making. I’m therefore so glad to see this project come to fruition, bringing the brewers’ passion to life on screen. Through a set of beautiful short films celebrating the humble beginnings, natural innovations, local traditions, cultural diversity and environmental circularity from grain to glass, this series showcases the positive and dynamic role played by beer brewing across Europe. Brewing Ambition is just a snapshot of a European beer culture with a strong heritage and a bright future ahead of it.”

About

• Brewing Ambition is a brand-new, unique series produced for The Brewers of Europe by BBC StoryWorks Commercial Productions.
• The Brewers of Europe unites 29 national brewers associations to promote the interests of Europe’s 10,000+ breweries
• BBC StoryWorks is the content studio of BBC Global News

The Brewers of Europe supports Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan and the overall stance taken by the European Parliament in its opinion adopted this evening (February 16), advocating a comprehensive approach to cancer that includes prevention, early diagnosis, treatment and follow-up care.

When it comes to alcohol policy, MEPs voted for an approach that focuses the EU’s prevention efforts on tackling harmful consumption and protecting minors. We support this.

We also applaud the Parliament’s astuteness in amending the report before the final vote, through a cross-party initiative to balance the need to support sports clubs, teams and communities with a recommendation to limit alcohol advertising and sponsorship at sports events targeted at minors.

In its final plenary debate, many Members of the European Parliament from across the different political groups focused on the need to understand and follow the science. While the approved opinion focuses on beating cancer, alcohol policies must be holistically conceived and take into account the link between different drinking patterns, all health conditions, the varying outcomes and the overall health impact.

Beer is a fermented, low alcohol beverage that can fit within a balanced diet and sustainable lifestyle when consumed responsibly by a healthy adult. It is crucial to recognise the role lower alcohol beverages can play in the EU’s objective of achieving a 10% reduction by 2025 in the harmful use of alcohol.

The Brewers of Europe stands ready to engage in a constructive dialogue with policymakers on any specific policy proposals, reviewing them in light of scientific evidence and the need for an effective, balanced, consistent and proportionate approach to reducing harmful alcohol consumption.

Contact:

Simon Spillane, Communications and Public Affairs Director, sws@brewersofeurope.org, @brewersofeurope

About The Brewers of Europe:

Based in Brussels, The Brewers of Europe brings together national brewers’ associations from 29 European countries and provides a voice to support the united interests of Europe’s 12,000 breweries. The Brewers of Europe promotes the positive role played by beer and the brewing sector in Europe and advocates the creation of the right conditions to allow brewers to continue to freely, cost-effectively and responsibly brew and market beer across Europe. Follow us on Twitter and visit our website.

• the scope and the representative product stays the same,
• only the default EF compliant datasets are updated due to a correction made by the data provider and/or the EF reference package applied changes (update to 3.0 package), 
• obvious mistakes are corrected
• the revised PEFCRs are compliant with the most recent version of the EF methods.

Contact:

Simon Spillane, Communications and Public Affairs Director, sws@brewersofeurope.org, @brewersofeurope

About The Brewers of Europe:

Based in Brussels, The Brewers of Europe brings together national brewers’ associations from 29 European countries and provides a voice to support the united interests of Europe’s 12,000 breweries. The Brewers of Europe promotes the positive role played by beer and the brewing sector in Europe and advocates the creation of the right conditions to allow brewers to continue to freely, cost-effectively and responsibly brew and market beer across Europe. Follow us on Twitter and visit our website.

As Europe continues to battle the pandemic, it must maintain its support measures for the beer sector, The Brewers of Europe said on December 20^th.

The call comes as The Brewers of Europe, the voice of more than 12,000 breweries, released its 2021 European Beer Trends Statistics Report, which revealed how overall beer sales had collapsed in the first year of the pandemic. The statistics show that combined beer sales in 31 European markets fell in 2020 from 385.5 to 354.5 million hectolitres. This was a staggering drop of over 3 billion litres, representing more than an 8% collapse in beer sales.

While the 2020 and 2021 lockdowns have lifted, there are still many restrictions in place across Europe, and consumer confidence remains low amongst some groups. These continue to affect the brewing sector. However, with the right targeted framework support, particularly focused on the hard-hit beer hospitality market, brewers can bounce back and lead Europe’s recovery through job creation, increased value and government tax generation.

“As we look to the future, we need to ensure that brewers have solid ground to recover,” said The Brewers of Europe Secretary General Pierre-Olivier Bergeron. “The beer industry is part of a complex chain involving many businesses. Concrete, long-term support will help them recover or maintain their operations. Governments need to step in with measures to cope with the negative economic impact of the pandemic. With targeted support, beer hospitality can lift the economy, bring in much-needed government revenues and boost jobs all along the brewing, production and hospitality value chain. Bars and pubs can once again become pillars of the local community - and with it, the economy".

The 2021 report covers the 27 European Union member states, plus Norway, Switzerland, Turkey and the United Kingdom. It shows how the steady, decade-long renaissance in both production and consumption of beer ground to a stuttering halt as the pandemic hit. The hospitality sector took the brunt of the damage. By mid-March 2020, almost all of Europe’s bars, cafés and restaurants were closed, and would not reopen until around May. The second wave in the autumn forced them to close again in October 2020, often only reopening from April 2021. The result was an average 40% drop in beer hospitality sales in 2020, a loss that was only marginally recouped by retail sales.

These closures impacted the whole social economy: people’s livelihoods, government tax revenues and citizens’ wellbeing were hit as communities shut down, Europeans self-isolated, culture was curtailed and social lives ground to a standstill.

The diverse expansion of the beer culture also stalled. The previous decade had seen a flowering of start-ups and innovation in the sector. Indeed, for five consecutive years, over 1,000 new breweries opened annually across Europe, almost doubling the total between 2014 and 2019. However, in 2020 this entrepreneurial boom came to a staggering halt. At the end of 2020, there were some 12,473 active breweries across Europe – but just 225 new breweries had opened during the previous 12 months.

What is clear, however, is that brewers are resilient. Times are tough but so are brewers. Their entrepreneurial spirit remains. As for consumers, they still love good beer and have a thirst for new tastes. Brewers will meet this demand, innovating to ensure the brewing sector returns stronger than ever.

The European Beer Trends - 2021 Edition report is available for download here.

Contact:

Simon Spillane, Communications and Public Affairs Director, sws@brewersofeurope.org, @brewersofeurope

About The Brewers of Europe:

Based in Brussels, The Brewers of Europe brings together national brewers’ associations from 29 European countries and provides a voice to support the united interests of Europe’s 12,000 breweries. The Brewers of Europe promotes the positive role played by beer and the brewing sector in Europe and advocates the creation of the right conditions to allow brewers to continue to freely, cost-effectively and responsibly brew and market beer across Europe. Follow us on Twitter and visit our website.

Contact:

Simon Spillane, Communications and Public Affairs Director, sws@brewersofeurope.org, @brewersofeurope

About The Brewers of Europe:

Based in Brussels, The Brewers of Europe brings together national brewers’ associations from 29 European countries and provides a voice to support the united interests of Europe’s 11,000 breweries. The Brewers of Europe promotes the positive role played by beer and the brewing sector in Europe and advocates the creation of the right conditions to allow brewers to continue to freely, cost-effectively and responsibly brew and market beer across Europe. Follow us on Twitter and visit our website.

The Brewers of Europe, which represents the beermaking community, supports this initiative. We agree that informed citizens make informed decisions. This ranges from decisions about who to vote for in elections to basic shopping and consumer choices. Information is power. Universal access to information is a cornerstone of healthy and inclusive societies.

The right to information is a principle that has driven our campaign to provide consumers with the facts about ingredients and calorie values for our beers. Consumers like clear and consistent communication. We believe ingredients lists and calorie values on the labels of bottles and cans are the most basic of information that all consumers should expect to see for all drinks.

Pierre-Olivier Bergeron, Secretary General of The Brewers of Europe, said the IDUAI should be a moment for everyone to reflect on how much information they can share. “On the International Day for Universal Access to Information, we want to show our support for access to information for everyone. At The Brewers of Europe, we are already into the sixth year of our labelling commitment. We want our customers to know what is in their drinks, and we are proud to show them. That is our pledge to be open and clear about the facts,” he said.

The Brewers of Europe labelling commitment is not an EU regulatory requirement. Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 on the provision of food information to consumers exempts alcoholic beverages over 1.2 percent ABV from the legal obligation to label this information — although it does set clear rules for any company wishing to voluntarily do so. Ingredients must be listed in descending order of weight, as recorded at the time of their use. Energy values must be provided (just as they are for non-alcoholic beverages) in kJ and kcal per 100ml to allow a like-for-like comparison among all beverages.

Our voluntary commitment was bolstered in 2018 with a specific recommendation to all breweries, to list ingredients and energy per 100ml on the labels of their beer bottles and cans. Two years ago, in September 2019, The Brewers of Europe, national brewers’ associations and leading companies signed a Memorandum of Understanding to roll out that specific recommendation across the EU by the end of 2022.

Europe’s brewers are now well on their way to meeting their ambitious 2022 labelling targets as part of their ‘Proud to be Clear’ campaign to ensure all beer containers label ingredients and energy values. We have already exceeded our interim targets: current Europe-wide implementation figures show 93 percent of beers are labelling ingredients and 86 percent are labelling calories.

On top of this, many brewers are also providing the ingredients and nutrition information online for each of their brands, recognising the increasing importance of digital.

We are also extremely pleased that our ongoing collaboration with the European Commission has helped support consumer choice and empower responsible decisions. In June 2021, the EU’s current Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides welcomed our commitments and commended Europe’s brewers for exceeding the targets despite the ongoing crisis that has hit the beer hospitality sector hard.

We believe all alcoholic beverages — irrespective of their alcohol content or definition — should do the same, and we encourage other sectors to bring their own actions into line with both our own commitment and EU law.

Note to editors:

The International Day for Universal Access to Information (IDUAI) was designated by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) General Conference in November 2015 and was first held on September 28, 2016. Before that, it was recognised as International Right to Know Day from 2002. It was later proclaimed at the 74th UN General Assembly in October 2019.

Contact:

Simon Spillane, Communications and Public Affairs Director, sws@brewersofeurope.org, @brewersofeurope

About The Brewers of Europe:

Based in Brussels, The Brewers of Europe brings together national brewers’ associations from 29 European countries and provides a voice to support the united interests of Europe’s 11,000 breweries. The Brewers of Europe promotes the positive role played by beer and the brewing sector in Europe and advocates the creation of the right conditions to allow brewers to continue to freely, cost-effectively and responsibly brew and market beer across Europe. Follow us on Twitter and visit our website.

Signing up in the presence of EU First Vice-President Frans Timmermans and the European Commissioners for Health and the Internal Market, The Brewers of Europe pledged to pursue and build upon our six-year commitment to label ingredients and energy on beers across Europe.

The Brewers of Europe Ambition is that by end 2022 all beer bottles and cans list ingredients and energy per 100ml on the labels, just as all other non-alcoholic beverages legally have to do and in full conformity with Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 on the provision of food information to consumers.

While EU law currently exempts alcoholic beverages over 1.2% abv from a legal obligation to list the ingredients and calorie content, The Brewers of Europe is delighted to add its weight to the European Commission campaign for all consumers to have access to this information.

Indeed, at 93% and 86% implementation rates for ingredients and energy labelling respectively, Europe’s beer brewers are already well on their way to hitting their ambitious targets as part of the ‘Proud to be Clear’ campaign.

The Brewers of Europe Secretary General Pierre-Olivier Bergeron said that by signing the EU Code of Conduct, beermakers are showing they are ready to pursue their leadership. “Brewers want people to know exactly what goes into the delicious beers that they brew. When we provide people with clear information about our beers, we empower them to make the right choices. This is about responsible business and consumer choice”, he said.

The EU Code of Conduct for Responsible Food Business and Marketing Practices is a key pillar of the EU’s landmark Farm to Fork Strategy. It sets out how food and drink producers, processors, operators and retailers can voluntarily commit to improve and communicate their support for healthy, balanced and sustainable diets, including by providing transparent, voluntary product information to consumers.

In signing the Code, The Brewers of Europe support these aspirational objectives. We also pledge to publish the implementation results annually, promote the Code within our constituencies, and encourage and support brewers to continue and support delivery of the commitment.

The Brewers of Europe campaign was backed by EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides when she met The Brewers of Europe on 11 June 2021 and was also supported in 2019 by her predecessor as EU Health Commissioner, Vytenis Andriukaitis.

Contact:

Simon Spillane, Communications and Public Affairs Director, sws@brewersofeurope.org, @brewersofeurope

About The Brewers of Europe:

Based in Brussels, The Brewers of Europe brings together national brewers’ associations from 29 European countries and provides a voice to support the united interests of Europe’s 11,000 breweries. The Brewers of Europe promotes the positive role played by beer and the brewing sector in Europe and advocates the creation of the right conditions to allow brewers to continue to freely, cost-effectively and responsibly brew and market beer across Europe. Follow us on Twitter and visit our website.

Commissioner Kyriakides described the meeting as a constructive exchange, saying, “Industry has a key role to play in protecting the health of our citizens and empowering them to choose healthy lifestyles.”

The Brewers of Europe explained how Europe’s beer brewers are well on their way to meeting their 2022 labelling targets aimed at providing clear ingredients and nutritional information for beers across the EU. The Brewers of Europe agreed on the ambitious target as part of its ‘Proud to be Clear’ Brewers’ Ambition to ensure all beer pre-pack containers label ingredients and energy values.

Figures from June 2021 show that despite the unprecedented crisis posed by the Covid restrictions on beer hospitality over the last 15 months, an estimated 93% of beer volumes sold in cans and bottles were now labelling ingredients and an estimated 86% were labelling energy.

The Brewers of Europe President Lasse Aho said the progress showed that brewers could be judged not just on their words but also on their actions. “We are delighted to share with Commissioner Kyriakides the excellent news about labelling,” he said. “This is just one of our commitments to brew responsibly and shows how we are ensuring that our consumers are crystal clear about the ingredients that go into our fine beers. We are also extremely pleased that our ongoing collaboration with the European Commission has helped support consumer choice and empower responsible decisions.”

The delegation included Pavlos Photiades, the former President of The Brewers of Europe, who signed a Memorandum of Understanding in 2019 with EU’s Health Commissioner formally committing the brewers to delivering on the targets and reporting regularly on progress.

The Brewers of Europe Secretary General Pierre-Olivier Bergeron said the progress on labelling showed how beermakers were taking their public responsibilities seriously. “Brewers believe in empowering people with facts to make informed decisions. Consumers like clear, consistent, honest communication: more information gives them more choice,” he said.

There currently remains an EU level exemption for alcoholic beverages above 1.2% alcohol by volume (abv) from any legal obligation to provide ingredients and nutritional information. However, brewers have been voluntarily stepping up the roll-out of ingredients listing and energy information since 2015, in conformity with the provisions of Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 on the provision of food information to consumers. In July 2018, that commitment was bolstered by a specific, focused recommendation to all breweries to list ingredients and calories per 100ml on the labels of pre-packaged beer containers such as bottles and cans, just as all other non-alcoholic beverages legally have to do.

The Brewers of Europe has developed toolkits to explain the EU’s legal framework for this voluntary commitment to the more than 11,000 breweries from across the continent, helping them understand the objective and explaining how nutritional values can be calculated and presented. We continue to lead the way by providing guidance tools and using detailed monitoring to report on progress.

The Brewers of Europe meeting with Commissioner Kyriakides comes just as bars, cafés and restaurants across Europe have been reopening after more than a year of forced closures due to the coronavirus pandemic. The pandemic restrictions hit beer hospitality hard: bars and restaurants lost 42% of beer sales in 2020, the equivalent of over 5 billion litres, along with 800,000 beer hospitality jobs.

Brewers nonetheless responded positively throughout the pandemic, supporting the public health response and frontline staff, showing solidarity with the hospitality sector and investing in Covid secure environments. Brewers have also doubled down on their sustainability efforts in support of a Green Recovery, and continued their innovation and investment in non-and low-alcohol beers.

To read more about the implementation, head to www.beerwisdom.eu

Contact:

Simon Spillane, Communications and Public Affairs Director, sws@brewersofeurope.org, @brewersofeurope

About The Brewers of Europe:

Based in Brussels, The Brewers of Europe brings together national brewers’ associations from 29 European countries and provides a voice to support the united interests of Europe’s 11,000 breweries. The Brewers of Europe promotes the positive role played by beer and the brewing sector in Europe and advocates the creation of the right conditions to allow brewers to continue to freely, cost-effectively and responsibly brew and market beer across Europe. Follow us on Twitter and visit our website.

Nearly 2,500 brewers, suppliers, policymakers, NGOs and others signed up for the 2021 edition of The Brewers Forum, which took place online from June 1 to 4. The Brewers Forum, now in its third edition, was organised by The Brewers of Europe, the trade association promoting the interests of more than 11,000 breweries from across the continent.

The Forum addressed new ideas to make brewing more sustainable, more innovative, more responsible and more diverse.

But many beermakers warned they still need to recover after more than a year of pandemic-related lockdowns and other restrictions on the hospitality sector. The Brewers of Europe President Lasse Aho told the Forum that the pandemic had taken its toll on brewers. “We have all been hit by a battery of restrictive measures across Europe and the world. It has really been a hugely disruptive period for beer producers and the whole beer value chain,” he said. “Now that bars and cafés are re-opening across Europe, it is time to look into the next steps and positively rebuild consumer confidence.”

Mr Aho confirmed European brewers’ commitment to environmental sustainability and supporting the delivery of the EU Green Deal. He also stressed the important role that brewers and beer hospitality can play in the sustainable, post-Covid recovery “If governments treat us well, they will be rewarded: with beer excise duty revenues; with VAT from beer consumption in bars, cafes and restaurants; with jobs in the breweries and in pubs. Despite all the trouble, we can help reignite the economy!”

The Brewers Forum featured some of the biggest names in beer. Heineken CEO Dolf van den Brink explained how the Netherlands-based company aimed to decarbonise its production by 2030 and its full value chain by 2040. “I would love all of us to join the trip to carbon net-zero!” he said. Mr van den Brink also called on the sector to do more to prevent the harmful use of alcohol. “Zero tolerance is part of our licence to operate. I call on all of us to contribute to this. We must show responsibility in our messaging and marketing,” he said.

Asahi Group President and CEO Atsushi Katsuki underlined how important it is for brewers to cut their carbon footprint. “Pursuing sustainability is essentially synonymous with pursuing business itself. By doing so, we earn the trust of our stakeholders. Only through that trust can we serve our social role,” he said. He added that beer’s unique cultural significance meant that it was more than just a drink. “Going out for a beer is not only a simple act of having a beverage. It is an occasion to meet families, friends and other people, building new relationships and creating new acquaintances.”

The Brewers of Europe Secretary General Pierre-Olivier Bergeron shared the results of the group’s impact report on the effects of the pandemic that showed how beer hospitality declined by 42% and the overall beer market by 9% in 2020 compared to 2019. “This wiped out four in 10 of the jobs generated by beer in the hospitality sector,” he said, adding that governments also lost nearly a quarter of the tax revenues they usually receive from beer.

But Mr Bergeron was hopeful that the sector could bounce back. “Some 860,000 jobs are ready to be created in the economy if the beer sector can return to pre-Covid levels,” he said, urging policymakers to support the beer hospitality sector, rather than imposing new taxes. “With the targeted support to beer, brewers and hospitality, we can continue to play a positive role in the economy, culture, society and the European way of life.”

The Forum’s 19 individual sessions examined a broad variety of topics ranging from recycling and recovery to innovative brewing techniques, marketing and packaging. Sustainability was a key theme and the specific focus of the final day: as an official partner of the EU Green Week taking place at the same time, the Forum recognised that the climate crisis is the challenge of the generation, and many speakers underlined their efforts to reduce emissions and improve circularity.

Other sessions looked at how to bring new flavour and body to beer through barrel-ageing, how to modernise historical and preserved beer styles, how to market beers in a fast-changing and increasingly competitive environment, and how small brewers can make the perfect lager.

The Forum closed with the official announcement of a new project – Raising the Bar! - between The Brewers of Europe and BBC StoryWorks that will showcase some of the most exciting stories from across the beer sector in Europe.

The Brewers Forum was held online from June 1 to 4, 2021. Video replays of all the sessions will be available soon on brewup.eu.

Contact:

Simon Spillane, Communications and Public Affairs Director, sws@brewersofeurope.org, @brewersofeurope

About The Brewers of Europe:

Based in Brussels, The Brewers of Europe brings together national brewers’ associations from 29 European countries and provides a voice to support the united interests of Europe’s 11,000 breweries. The Brewers of Europe promotes the positive role played by beer and the brewing sector in Europe and advocates the creation of the right conditions to allow brewers to continue to freely, cost-effectively and responsibly brew and market beer across Europe. Follow us on Twitter and visit our website.

These are some of the issues facing more than 1,700 brewers, suppliers, policymakers, NGOs and others at the 2021 edition of The Brewers Forum, which will take place from June 1 to 4.

The Brewers Forum, now in its third edition, is being held online at a time when Europe is finally starting to open up its bars, cafés and restaurants, more than a year after the coronavirus pandemic forced them to close. It is organised by The Brewers of Europe, the trade association promoting the interests of more than 11,000 breweries from across the continent.

In recent years, the brewing sector has been exploring a variety of new ideas to become more sustainable and more responsible. The Brewers Forum will show that despite everything that has happened, Europe’s brewers have the energy and imagination needed to make their pils, lagers, bitters, stouts, IPAs and other brews more enticing and greener than ever.

The Brewers of Europe’s President Lasse Aho will tell participants that the Forum must be a moment for the entire beer supply chain to rebuild and reconnect after an unprecedented period of disruption. “This crisis is not over. However, we can now see some light at the end of the tunnel,” he will say. “We, the members of the brewing community, will be able to turn the challenges into opportunities. We are all smart and innovative enough to demonstrate that we can go through difficult times and shape the brightest future possible.”

The Brewers Forum will feature some of the biggest names in beer, including Asahi Group President and CEO Atsushi Katsuki and Heineken CEO Dolf van den Brink. The Forum’s 19 individual sessions will address and debate a broad variety of topics ranging from recycling and recovery to innovative brewing techniques, marketing and packaging.

Sustainability will be a key theme as the beer supply chain continues to find ways to cut its carbon footprint, improve water usage and fully integrate circularity. The Forum is an official partner event of the EU Green Week taking place at the same time, and it will showcase the efforts over the years by the beer sector and supply chain at large to make brewing greener.

Other sessions will look at how to bring new flavour and body to beer through barrel-ageing, the modernisation of historical and preserved beer styles, marketing beers in a fast-changing and increasingly competitive environment, and how smaller brewers can brew the perfect lager.

The Brewers Forum is free to access and will be held June 1 to 4, 2021. Click here for full details, including the programme and registration details.

Contact:

Simon Spillane, Communications and Public Affairs Director, sws@brewersofeurope.org, @brewersofeurope

About The Brewers of Europe:

Based in Brussels, The Brewers of Europe brings together national brewers’ associations from 29 European countries and provides a voice to support the united interests of Europe’s 11,000 breweries. The Brewers of Europe promotes the positive role played by beer and the brewing sector in Europe and advocates the creation of the right conditions to allow brewers to continue to freely, cost-effectively and responsibly brew and market beer across Europe. Follow us on Twitter and visit our website.

Following today’s publication of a new report on Covid’s impact on the beer trade, The Brewers of Europe says a full recovery can ensure the return of over 800,000 jobs lost in beer hospitality in 2020 when sales in bars, pubs and restaurants collapsed by over 40% due to restrictions and closures.

With continued targeted support, governments can also expect to receive around €11 billion in extra tax revenues if beer hospitality can just return to pre-pandemic levels of activity. The beer value chain bouncing back to pre-Covid levels would also bring €13 billion in value added back into the European economy.

Pierre-Olivier Bergeron, Secretary General of The Brewers of Europe said, “As we look ahead to the recovery, we need to get the reopening right. We need clarity and certainty. A thriving hospitality sector is a key to the wider recovery, including as an important symbol of consumer confidence. With targeted support, beer hospitality can lift the economy, bring in much needed government revenues and boost jobs all along the brewing, production and hospitality value chain. Bars and pubs can once again become pillars of the local community - and with it, the economy.”

On the other hand, with much of Europe still in lockdown or under tight restrictions again, particularly in the hospitality sector, this kickstart is still tantalisingly just out of reach. The long wait is having a devastating effect on social lives, livelihoods, culture, the economy and government finances.

With a safe, secure and sustainable future absolutely vital, hospitality venues, event organisers, breweries and the whole supply chain need help to bridge the gap, not just towards first and partial re-openings, but towards full recovery. The Brewers of Europe and our partners have consistently called for support from governments, such as prolonged temporary unemployment benefits, flexible liquidity grants, reduced VAT rates in hospitality and targeted excise relief for hard-hit sectors. These same governments stand to benefit significantly from a revitalised social economy if they get behind beer hospitality.

Europe Economics’ Beer Covid Impact Report shows how much the beer hospitality trade has suffered and the impact on the jobs, value and tax revenues generated by beer. In 2020, beer sold on-trade dropped 42% compared to 2019, from 126 million hectolitres to 73 million hectolitres.

With a small increase in retail beer sales only picking up part of the slack, there was a net fall of 34 million hectolitres, or 9%, in the total volume of beer sold in Europe in 2020, wiping over €3 billion off the value of beer production in a single year. Jobs generated in the beer value chain fell by an estimated one third in 2020, from 2.6 million people to 1.8 million, with the vast majority of these losses being in beer hospitality, but jobs also being lost in supply and distribution.

Mr Bergeron added, “We are becoming more sustainable in our practices and more aligned with our local environment. We are getting more creative in our brewing methods and our range of beers. And we are leading the way in responsible drinking, including through the low alcohol choices on offer. As Europe plans its recovery, we are ready to play our role in driving the economy, continuing our push for greener practices, and rebuilding the local communities.”

Many hospitality establishments will unfortunately never reopen, even after the lockdown ends. However, many in the sector have weathered the crisis, made the necessary investments to ensure Covid-safe environments, and will be ready to again serve beer to our consumers when they return to the bar.

NEW report:

• Economic report to assess the impact of Covid-19 on the brewing sector in Europe in 2020 - Europe Economics
• Short video

Contact:

Simon Spillane, Communications and Public Affairs Director, sws@brewersofeurope.org, @brewersofeurope

About The Brewers of Europe:

Based in Brussels, The Brewers of Europe brings together national brewers’ associations from 29 European countries and provides a voice to support the united interests of Europe’s 11,000 breweries. The Brewers of Europe promotes the positive role played by beer and the brewing sector in Europe and advocates the creation of the right conditions to allow brewers to continue to freely, cost-effectively and responsibly brew and market beer across Europe. Follow us on Twitter and visit our website.

The impact of COVID-19 has hit livelihoods and businesses hard, throwing Europe’s restaurants, bars, hotels, cafés, pubs and nightclubs into a deep crisis, the letter says. There is a need for the EU’s policy makers, MEPs and member states to deliver a road map for recovery and, critically, predictability for reopening.

The letter recognises hope and optimism buoyed by the arrival and distribution of successful vaccines. The Brewers of Europe and its cosignatories ‘should be considered as partners for ensuring, when the epidemiological situation allows it, a well-regulated, safe and sustainable reopening’.

There are three specific asks, in addition to the overarching task force:

• Recognition of the massive and long-term impact that the COVID crisis and ongoing shutdowns have had on businesses.
• Clarity is needed as soon as possible on when and under which conditions the hospitality sector will be able to reopen.
• Dedicated financial and policy support to the hospitality value chain, addressing current, short-term and long-term needs.

Pierre-Olivier Bergeron, Secretary General of The Brewers of Europe said “The pandemic has devastated communities and taken many lives. As a brewing sector working at the heart of society, we are keen to work with the EU’s institutions at the earliest opportunity to help contribute to a successful recovery from this crisis. We need not only a dedicated task force, but support, clarity and recognition for the impact it has had on our businesses”.

This comes as last month the secretary generals of the major associations and unions issued a statement on a hospitality industry common position for the task force and COVID19.

The full letter was sent to:

• Dr Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission
• Mrs Christine Lagarde, President of the European Central Bank
• Mr Paschal Donohoe, President of the Eurogroup
• Mr Charles Michel, President of the European Council
• Mr David Sassoli, President of the European Parliament
• Mr Apostolos Tzitzikostas, President of the European Committee of the Regions

Read the full letter here whilst more information about the beer sector’s response to the crisis can be found at https://reconnect.beer.

Contact:

Simon Spillane, Communications and Public Affairs Director, sws@brewersofeurope.org, @brewersofeurope

About The Brewers of Europe:

Based in Brussels, The Brewers of Europe brings together national brewers’ associations from 29 European countries and provides a voice to support the united interests of Europe’s 10,000 breweries. The Brewers of Europe promotes the positive role played by beer and the brewing sector in Europe and advocates the creation of the right conditions to allow brewers to continue to freely, cost-effectively and responsibly brew and market beer across Europe. Follow us on Twitter and visit our website.

Users of the app – downloaded by 8.5m people globally – have been ‘checking in’ at home instead of at their favourite bars and restaurants whilst venues remain shut due to the pandemic. From today they will be able to show solidarity with local pubs through unique promotional messages via the app.

This involves pop-up banners and social media click through actions with a message to #SAVEOURPUB and #RECONNECT.

The aim is to raise awareness of the struggle faced by the brewing community and the whole value chain that relies on it, and for governments to recognise the economic contribution of the sector.

Pierre-Olivier Bergeron, Secretary General of The Brewers of Europe said “Beer consumers are fiercely proud and extremely knowledgeable about their beer. We all want our favourite bar and pubs to still be able to reopen when the pandemic is over. This collaboration with Untappd will tap into that passion for beer and gives a unique channel to share hope that the sector can be a driver for the recovery”.

“Checking in a beer at home on the Untappd app helps keep the community connected with the local pubs and breweries they love,” said Trace Smith, CEO of Untappd. “We are proud to partner with the Brewers of Europe to promote this sense of community and support the industry. We look forward to safely reconnecting over a beer after the pandemic.”

The campaign will be available in all countries represented by The Brewers Of Europe: throughout the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Turkey, and the United Kingdom. Before COVID19 hit, the beer sector was booming. There are more than 10,000 breweries operating in Europe. It’s hoped that with support from governments and consumers, beer can bounce back and help people reconnect with each other after restrictions have been lifted.

Download the Untappd app and use it to check in while drinking a beer at home. More information about what consumers can do and what support measures are recommended by The Brewers of Europe can be found at reconnect.beer.

Contact:

Simon Spillane, Communications and Public Affairs Director, sws@brewersofeurope.org, @brewersofeurope

About The Brewers of Europe:

Based in Brussels, The Brewers of Europe brings together national brewers’ associations from 29 European countries and provides a voice to support the united interests of Europe’s 10,000 breweries. The Brewers of Europe promotes the positive role played by beer and the brewing sector in Europe and advocates the creation of the right conditions to allow brewers to continue to freely, cost-effectively and responsibly brew and market beer across Europe. Follow us on Twitter and visit our website.

About Untappd

Founded in 2010, Untappd is the world's largest social beer app, with over 8 million users globally. Individuals can "check-in" and rate beers at bars, restaurants, breweries and a host of other venues as well as view friends' profiles to toast and comment on their beer choices. Additionally, the company provides menu publishing software to over 18,000 businesses worldwide. www.untappd.com

The Brewers of Europe and the cosignatories want “predictability for the hospitality sector and its supply chain, through a safe, timely and sustainable reopening as soon as the economy starts to open up again”.  

Hospitality businesses and the entire system that supports them, are an essential part of Europe’s social and economic fabric, providing millions of jobs to workers across the continent.

“Investing in the hospitality industry now will pay off for our collective recovery in the future, helping to kickstart the wider economy and society”, the statement says.

Pierre-Olivier Bergeron, Secretary General of The Brewers of Europe said “The pandemic has taken lives and livelihoods. At the right time and when it is safe to do so, we must do all we can to reconnect the hospitality value chain and avoid further knock-on effects. With bars, pubs, cafés and restaurants so integral to our society and economy, we call on the EU institutions to ensure that the hospitality sector has strong and dedicated support to help its recovery”.

This comes as Ivan Štefanec, MEP, member of the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO) and President of the European Parliament Beer Club recommended in December 2020 that the taskforce be backed by MEPs.

The full statement can be read here and more information about the beer sector’s response to the crisis can be found at reconnect.beer.

Contact:

Simon Spillane, Communications and Public Affairs Director, sws@brewersofeurope.org, @brewersofeurope

About The Brewers of Europe:

Based in Brussels, The Brewers of Europe brings together national brewers’ associations from 29 European countries and provides a voice to support the united interests of Europe’s 10,000 breweries. The Brewers of Europe promotes the positive role played by beer and the brewing sector in Europe and advocates the creation of the right conditions to allow brewers to continue to freely, cost-effectively and responsibly brew and market beer across Europe. Follow us on Twitter and visit our website.

According to Ivan Štefanec, MEP and President of the European Parliament Beer Club, the taskforce aims to monitor the ongoing crisis due to coronavirus and ensure that EU recovery instruments can be used as effectively as possible.

Speaking at Bridging the Gap: The Recovery of the Hospitality Sector, an online event hosted by EU40 on Thursday 17 December 2020, Mr. Štefanec stressed that businesses in the beer value chain such as bars, cafés, and restaurants should be able to take advantage of the 1.8tn euro budget and recovery fund, especially if they seek to make digital or green improvements.

“If small companies seek to improve in this way – be it digital or green technology – they can receive funding” he said, underlining the fact that 50% of SMEs are in need of immediate help following the near total shutdown of the social economy in 2020.

André Costa Monteiro, Alternate Financial Counsellor at the Portuguese Permanent Representation to the EU, pointed to how the speed of the response from the EU was almost unprecedented, acting quickly and at scale to the crisis.

However, the hospitality sector had been, and is still being, affected more than others. Whilst a priority for Portugal’s presidency of the EU will be to work with the Commission and Member States to respond economically, Mr Monteiro said: “It's time to deliver. How do we get the funding instruments flowing to the hospitality sector?”

The beer and hospitality sectors are interdependent, with 1.6 million jobs created by the added value of beer in bars, cafés, and restaurants in Europe.

Pierre-Olivier Bergeron, secretary-general of The Brewers of Europe said, “The brewing and hospitality sectors need an economically sustainable roadmap, including a guarantee of long-term financial support, to reopen and reconnect safely, not just to partially compensate closure."

This view was shared by both Patricia Callan, Director of Drinks Ireland and Tess Posthumus, owner of the Flying Dutchman Cocktail Bar in Amsterdam, with drink producers and bars both facing mounting costs that the short-term response measures will not fully cover – such as rent, point-of-sale systems and return of unsold stock.

Early 2021 will be crucial for the EU economically and if hospitality is to be a driver of economy once again, it will need the ability to respond, recover and reconnect. The new taskforce will cooperate to remind each of the European institutions how important the beer and hospitality sector is in 2021 and beyond.

- END -

EU40 is a platform for young Pro-European Members of the European under the age of 40. The session Bridging the Gap: The Recovery of the Hospitality Sector can be replayed on YouTube.

Contact:

Simon Spillane, Communications and Public Affairs Director, sws@brewersofeurope.org, @brewersofeurope

About The Brewers of Europe:

Based in Brussels, The Brewers of Europe brings together national brewers’ associations from 29 European countries and provides a voice to support the united interests of Europe’s 10,000 breweries. The Brewers of Europe promotes the positive role played by beer and the brewing sector in Europe and advocates the creation of the right conditions to allow brewers to continue to freely, cost-effectively and responsibly brew and market beer across Europe. Follow us on Twitter and visit our website.

For The Brewers of Europe, supporting the interests of over ten thousand breweries, this was the first bespoke event focused entirely on sustainability in the beer sector. Opening the Forum, Lasse Aho, President of The Brewers of Europe stated: “As producers of beer, we are central to a circular European economy and our progress goes hand-in-hand with the aims of the new European Green Deal.”

Against the backdrop of a Covid crisis that is putting livelihoods at risk and jeopardising the beer sector’s very connection to its consumers, through the closure of bars, pubs and restaurants, this was an opportunity to show that sustainability remains a priority and how brewers collectively can contribute to the Green Recovery. The Brewers of Europe Sustainability Forum demonstrated how micro, small, and large brewers have long encouraged sustainable practices in their brewing processes, in supply chains, and how beer can be responsibly enjoyed.

Speaking at the final session of the event, Rozalina Petrova, Member of Cabinet of EU Environment Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevicius, said: “Businesses are under a lot of pressure due to the economic crisis, but even in hard times, brewers are thinking about a sustainable future, improving environmental performance and bringing together all the elements: from production and agriculture to water use, residues and packaging.”

The Sustainability Forum’s four technical sessions discussed solutions ranging from harnessing geothermal energy, to returning nutrients to nature for increased biodiversity. The platform was given to brewers and value chain partners to present their projects for the benefit of the whole brewing community.

Paolo Lanzarotti, Board Member of The Brewers of Europe and CEO of Asahi Europe & International, said: "The event has been a unique opportunity to share. We need to work together, brewers large and small, and we need to act at scale. Europe can lead and must lead."

Innovation and collaboration were two major themes coming out of the Sustainability Forum.

“The event was useful for all stakeholders. There is a general trend in the brewing sector for innovation and an awareness of the Green Deal, with a lot of activity on this, especially the contribution from small brewers” said Ivan Štefanec MEP and President of the European Parliament Beer Club. “People are working toward the common objective of sustainability of the sector from a long-term perspective,” he added.

In his closing words Pierre-Olivier Bergeron, Secretary General of The Brewers of Europe affirmed the ambitions of the brewing sector by saying: “To the Commission and Members of the European Parliament represented here today, I want to say that we are your partners, committed to continuing our sustainability story – to leading by example in our sector and beyond.”

Further information about The Brewers of Europe sustainability story, and to re-watch the event online in the coming days, visit the dedicated platform at www.brewing4.eu.

Postponed from June to October by COVID-19 and challenged by on-going global uncertainty, a rearranged EU Green Week went virtual this year and had the main overarching theme of biodiversity. The EU Green Deal remains one of the six cross-sectoral priorities for the European Commission, relating to the UN Sustainable Development Goals that are important strategic ambitions across the world.

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Contact

Simon Spillane, Communications and Public Affairs Director, sws@brewersofeurope.eu, @brewersofeurope

About us

Based in Brussels, The Brewers of Europe brings together national brewers’ associations from 29 European countries and provides a voice to support the united interests of Europe’s 10,000 breweries. The Brewers of Europe promotes the positive role played by beer and the brewing sector in Europe and advocates the creation of the right conditions to allow brewers to continue to freely, cost-effectively and responsibly brew and market beer across Europe. Follow us on Twitter and visit our website.

From unpicking relevant policy to the latest technical solutions, the event aims to be unmissable for those who want to know more about ‘brewing green’ and those who wish to debate how European companies should support the EU Green Deal.

Event highlights:

• Insight from policymakers and specialists on how the EU Green Deal impacts brewing and how beer producers can contribute to the Green Recovery.
• Leading small, medium and large breweries explain their approach to sustainability ambitions and initiatives.
• Hear from brewers with practical examples and best practice case studies about the latest techniques for:
  • increasing biopersity with co-products,
  • improving energy efficiency of their brewery
  • reducing waste in packaging and water conservation.

EU Green Week

The EU Green Deal remains one of the six cross-sectoral priorities for the European Commission, relating to the UN Sustainable Development Goals that are important strategic ambitions across the world.

The Brewers of Europe and its members are vital components of this strategy and will demonstrate how they can contribute to the overarching European and global commitments and ambitions.

As an official partner of the European Commission’s EU Green Week this October, sessions at The Sustainability Forum will help participants understand how sustainability policies will affect brewers and what it means for the sector.

How to brew sustainably: technical sessions for brewers

Brewers have long encouraged sustainable practices in brewing processes, through supply chains, and in how beer is consumed and enjoyed.

From small to large brewers, each can make changes that benefit our planet – the technical sessions will showcase just some of the best examples of how this is already being done.

From harnessing geothermal energy, to returning nutrients to nature, people aim to have a positive impact on our world and beer production can be part of a sustainable future. This event will show you how.

Register your interest

The Brewers of Europe invites you to register for the event and to contribute your own views and expertise. Read more on brewing4.eu.

Addressing The Brewers of Europe General Assembly, Mr Aho said: “This is both an extremely proud and a very humbling moment for me, knowing that my brewing colleagues from across Europe are putting their trust in me to lead their European umbrella association. After five consecutive years of growth in the European beer market, these are no doubt very challenging times as Europe’s brewers seek to reconnect with their distribution chain and ultimately their consumers in the midst of a global pandemic. My ambition is to help guide Europe’s diverse family of brewers out of this crisis, embracing the Green Recovery that is essential to ensure a robust and sustainable future for beer in Europe. I wish to thank Pavlos for the magnificent job he has done in helping to ensure The Brewers of Europe is well prepared to play this role, at the service of brewers and the wider society.”

There are currently an estimated ten thousand breweries in Europe, a fascinating mix of world-leading multinationals, medium-sized national and regional companies, centuries-long established family brewers and up-and-coming new microbreweries. With one job in a brewery creating an additional sixteen jobs in the wider economy, beer creates around 2.3 million jobs, from the grain right through to the glass. Prior to the ongoing global pandemic and the weeks-long shutdown of hundreds of thousands of bars, restaurants and cafés, one in every three beers was consumed in Europe’s hospitality sector. With a safe and sustainable reopening imperative and most establishments either operating at limited capacity or even still closed, The Brewers of Europe is continuing its campaign for targeted support to be given to these social hubs that are key to Europe’s need to reconnect.

Reflecting on his tenure at the head of the association, Mr Photiades said: “Without the commitment of the National Associations, the beer companies and the Brussels secretariat, I would not have been able to equip you with such a positive report on the last four years for Europe’s brewers. And I am really grateful for this unique cooperation. The near doubling of the number of breweries presented not just a challenge but an opportunity to ensure The Brewers of Europe could feel like home for all of Europe’s breweries. This required not just reflection, but adaptation, with the first ever European Brewers’ Forum a direct product of that strategic review. Looking back, I can also only share The Brewers of Europe’s pride for its unprecedented ambition to label ingredients and nutrition information on all beers and I would like to express my gratitude to the European Commission for its encouragements and support on this crucial dossier. It has been an immense pleasure and honour to have served as President of The Brewers of Europe. Whilst I know very well the difficult, even existential, challenges facing many brewers at this time, I have every confidence that Lasse is the right person to take the association forward, to ensure a bright and sustainable future for Europe’s brewing sector.”

-END-

Notes to editors:

About Mr Lasse Aho

Mr Aho, a Finnish citizen, has been since 2004 the CEO of Olvi Oyj plc, a very successful middle size, regional brewery the performance of which has led the company to rank third best enterprise in Finland for the period 1999-2019. Mr Aho holds a master’s degree in social sciences from the University of Tampere. In 2008 he was granted the Influencer of the Year Award in the Food Industry. In 2013 he became Knight First Class of the Order of the White Rose of Finland. A Board member of The Brewers of Europe since December 2014, Mr Aho has also since December 2016 served as Vice President representing small and medium-sized breweries. The Brewers of Europe General Assembly elected Mr Aho on 4 September 2020 to the role of President, with a two year mandate, renewable once.

About the Brewers of Europe

Based in Brussels, The Brewers of Europe brings together national brewers’ associations from 29 European countries and provides a voice to support the united interests of Europe’s 10,000 breweries. The Brewers of Europe promotes the positive role played by beer and the brewing sector in Europe and advocates the creation of the right conditions to allow brewers to continue to freely, cost-effectively and responsibly brew and market beer across Europe. Follow us on social media and visit our website: https://brewersofeurope.eu.

About the #RECONNECT campaign

The Brewers of Europe launched a campaign in June under the concept of #reconnect, to call for ongoing support of the hospitality sector in the wake of the COVID19 crisis and lockdown. The hospitality sector is being invited to reopen, but this must be done in a safe and sustainable way. Hundreds of thousands of bars, pubs, cafés and restaurants across Europe need targeted, ongoing and continued support as social distancing guidelines prevent full reopening and consumer confidence gradually recovers. Find out more and become a supporter of the campaign at https://reconnect.beer.

European brewers’ freedom to produce and market Tequila flavoured beer must not be curtailed. The Brewers of Europe seeks to ensure that Mexico observes the rules as laid down in an EU-Mexico bilateral Agreement on Spirit Drinks from 1997 and as prescribed by WTO law.

The Brewers of Europe filed a complaint to the Commission on 8 June urging an intervention with the Mexican authorities over the Tequila Regulatory Council’s unilateral trade restriction, in clear violation of its obligations under the 1997 EU-Mexico agreement on spirit drinks and in international trade law (the WTO).

The Brewers of Europe is concerned, not just by the adverse impact of the current restriction on the market-leading Tequila-flavoured beer, but also of the precedent this may set for other beers using Tequila in their aroma and potentially other flavoured beers.

The Brewers of Europe calls upon the European Commission to insist that the Mexican authorities immediately lift the export restriction imposed by the Tequila Regulatory Council (CRT).

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Related documents

A one-page Q&A put together by The Brewers of Europe is available here.

Contact

Simon Spillane, Communications and Public Affairs Director, sws@brewersofeurope.eu, @brewersofeurope

About us

Based in Brussels, The Brewers of Europe brings together national brewers’ associations from 29 European countries and provides a voice to support the united interests of Europe’s 10,000 breweries. The Brewers of Europe promotes the positive role played by beer and the brewing sector in Europe and advocates the creation of the right conditions to allow brewers to continue to freely, cost-effectively and responsibly brew and market beer across Europe. Follow us on Twitter and visit our website.

Brewers fully support the additional flexibility now given to Member States to apply reduced excise duties on lower-alcohol beers, increasing the threshold at which taxes can be cut, from 2.8 to 3.5% abv. Governments are being given further opportunities to use fiscal measures to support low alcohol products and continued innovation by Europe’s dynamic brewers to meet growing consumer demand for a diverse range of lower alcohol beers.

However, the new rules on the measurement of Plato degrees will imply the unjustified over-taxation of flavoured beers in half the EU Member States. Discriminatory and totally contradictory to the harmonisation objectives of the EU Excise Directives, the decision to also tax beer’s ingredients added after fermentation is made all the more extraordinary by the fact it goes directly against the 2018 ruling of the European Court of Justice on how Plato should be applied to avoid discrimination. 

Having contested the Plato proposals from the start, see here the most recent comments from The Brewers of Europe, sent in the form of a letter to the Chair of ECOFIN in advance of the proposal’s adoption by the Council.

-END-

Contact

Simon Spillane, Communications and Public Affairs Director, sws@brewersofeurope.eu, @brewersofeurope

About us:

Based in Brussels, The Brewers of Europe brings together national brewers’ associations from 29 European countries and provides a voice to support the united interests of Europe’s 10,000 breweries. The Brewers of Europe promotes the positive role played by beer and the brewing sector in Europe and advocates the creation of the right conditions to allow brewers to continue to freely, cost-effectively and responsibly brew and market beer across Europe. Follow us on Twitter and visit our website.

Whilst brewers support the additional flexibility given to Member States to allowed reduced excise duties on lower-alcohol beers, the proposal around flavoured beers goes against the European Court of Justice and is unjustified, discriminatory and totally contradictory to the harmonisation objectives of the EU Excise Directives. 

Read the letter here.

Read the European Commission’s reply here, plus the first and second letters sent by The Brewers of Europe.

Across Europe, the service and entertainment establishments, along with bars and restaurants, have felt the impact of social distancing measures and the preceding lockdown hard. Without suitable support, the value chain that relies on these places of social interaction - including the brewing sector - will be deeply affected too. 

Headed by Ivan Štefanec, President of the European Parliament's Beer Club and of SME Europe, the group of signatory MEPs hails from multiple countries and parties, showing that this is an issue of Europe-wide importance, independent of party politics.

The letter below calls for immediate measures to be taken by national and European governments at this crucial time for the whole hospitality sector and the people that are dependent on it for their livelihoods.

You can view the letter (PDF) by clicking here.

The hospitality sector is being invited to reopen, but this must be done in a safe and sustainable way.

Hundreds of thousands of bars, pubs, cafés and restaurants across Europe will need targeted, ongoing and continued support as consumer confidence gradually recovers.

With increased costs, reduced capacity, fewer customers and decreased sales, it is feared that many bars will have served their last beers.

However, a revitalised hospitality sector, supported by a prosperous brewing sector will mean increased value, revenues and job creation throughout the beer value chain, helping to reignite the wider society and economy.

Therefore, The Brewers of Europe and its members, promoting the interests of ten thousand breweries in Europe, are calling for support to businesses in the hospitality sector.

To ensure a safe and sustainable recovery and support those most hit by the shutdowns, we urge EU, national and local governments to pursue options under existing EU legislation.

Information about those options, and examples of how different countries are responding, can be found at the new campaign web-portal reconnect.beer.

Top European and world media have run a number of special features over the last week that examine the impact of coronavirus measures on Europe’s hospitality and beer sectors.

• A million beers await drinkers as Europe's bars reopen
• Coronavirus: Huge hangover as Europe's bars and breweries face battle for survival  
• Beer boss: Lowering VAT on alcohol would help hospitality sector revive quickly
• MEP: Commission could issue recommendations to revive EU hospitality sector

People can show their support and share their stories via the web-portal or on social media by using the hashtag #RECONNECT and by tagging @BrewersOfEurope.

In his letter to Mr Thierry Breton, EU Commissioner for Internal Market, Pavlos Photiades, President of The Brewers of Europe warned that with a third of Europe’s beer market closed due to the restrictions placed on the hospitality sector, many bars and cafes may never re-open, whilst a number of breweries will regrettably have brewed their last beer, despite the unprecedented support measures put in place.

“Bars, pubs and cafes, but also breweries themselves, many of which are visitor destinations in their own right, are an integral part of the heritage and culture of many European countries and must be covered by the EU's COVID-19 Tourism strategy,” Mr Photiades said in his letter.

“A possible option may be the setting up of a special task force on hospitality and tourism that looks at the unique challenge for the different establishments, including bars, restaurant, pubs and cafes,” he added.

The Brewers of Europe are also concerned that the brewing and hospitality sector often “find themselves at the bottom of the timetable for reopening” under the COVID19 exit plans currently being considered by the EU and European countries. They have signalled the need for a coordinated approach to reopening hospitality establishments that focuses on the ability of each establishment to follow health and safety rules, including on distancing.

Rebuilding consumer confidence in the "going out" and socialising experience without compromising safety, necessary social distancing and hygiene measures will be key. But bars, cafes and pubs need to reopen as soon as possible and government support will be needed for an economically viable exit during and beyond the gradual reopening and progressive relaxation of measures.

“This support can come in the form of grants and loans but should also consider the opportunity for reduced VAT on the service of beers in bars, or specifically on tap, plus extensions and greater flexibility on the opportunity to offer reduced excise duty to smaller breweries,” Photiades said.

“Due to the strategic importance of the hospitality sector for the future of the European brewing sector, I am keen to see all possible solutions considered to avoid a lost season for bars, pubs, cafes and restaurants, but also brewers, all without compromising on health and safety, core principles within any modern-day sustainable brewery.”

Click to read the full letter sent to the European Commission.

-END-

Contact

Simon Spillane, Communications and Public Affairs Director, sws@brewersofeurope.eu, @brewersofeurope

About us:

Based in Brussels, The Brewers of Europe brings together national brewers’ associations from 29 European countries and provides a voice to support the united interests of Europe’s 10,000 breweries. The Brewers of Europe promotes the positive role played by beer and the brewing sector in Europe and advocates the creation of the right conditions to allow brewers to continue to freely, cost-effectively and responsibly brew and market beer across Europe. Follow us on Twitter and visit our website.

The Brewers of Europe supports the extraordinary measures being taken to restrict the spread of the virus, such as shutting down bars, restaurants and festivals, to prevent social gatherings.

However, in an open letter to the Presidents of the European Commission, Council, Parliament, Eurogroup and EBC, and the national finance ministers across Europe, we urge national and European policymakers to keep the impact on the hospitality sector front-of-mind when considering and proposing measures to soften the negative economic and personal effects during this time.  

There are several key supportive measures that we recommend for the hospitality sector, its wider beer value chain and all the people working throughout the sector:

• Supportive national fiscal policies, which include short term refunding of tax and social charge payments already made, postponement of new payments, and targeted reductions in VAT and excise over the medium term, to boost recovery and job creation;  
• Minimum net salary compensation (e.g. of 90%), by governments, of employees facing technical unemployment;
• Grants and loans, including through the redirection of structural funds, putting the hospitality sector at the core of the new ECB economic stimulus program, plus exceptional state aid measures to compensate for lost earnings under Treaty Article 107(2)(b);
• Appropriate insurance compensation in the case of forced closure or loss of unused stock;
• The Coronavirus Response Investment Initiative granting liquidity loans with minimal bureaucratic hurdles at zero interest rate to avoid sound companies collapsing, with flexible repayment terms to allow companies to rebuild balance sheets before repayments.

For centuries, these unique hubs for social gatherings have helped shape local communities, culture and the way of life across the continent – without fast, effective intervention, many of these businesses will disappear altogether from the European map, dramatically and irreversibly changing society forever. Taking the appropriate exceptional measures can help minimise as much as possible the impact on the hospitality sector but also the other sectors, such as brewing, that depend on it.  

According to the report published this week into the economic contribution of beer, in 2018 the brewing sector generated in the EU over 2.3 million jobs, €55 billion in value added and €44 billion in government tax revenues, with the biggest impacts seen in the hospitality sector.  

• Read the full text of the letter sent to Europe’s Presidents - here.  
• See the full report by Europe Economics on The Contribution made by Beer to the European Economy - here
• See a short leaflet on The Brewers of Europe and Europe’s beer sector - here.

-END-

Contact :
Simon Spillane, Communications and Public Affairs Director, +32 (0)2 551 1810, sws@brewersofeurope.org, @brewersofeurope

About us :
Based in Brussels, The Brewers of Europe brings together national brewers’ associations from 29 European countries and provides a voice to support the united interests of Europe’s 10,000 breweries. The Brewers of Europe promotes the positive role played by beer and the brewing sector in Europe and advocates the creation of the right conditions to allow brewers to continue to freely, cost-effectively and responsibly brew and market beer across Europe. Follow us on Twitter and visit our website.

Brussels, 5 December 2019 – There are now more than 10,000 breweries in the European Union according to the latest figures revealed today by The Brewers of Europe, whilst both the production and consumption of beer have gradually grown year on year for the last five years.

The figures – released as part of the 2019 edition of The Brewers of Europe’s Annual European Beer Trends Statistics Report – show continued growth in many key metrics. Beer production volumes have surpassed the 400 million hectolitre mark in the EU for the first time in a decade.

Consumption rose in every single country in 2018, with consumers able to choose from a more varied, more specialised range of beers. As some consumers switch towards lower strength products such as beer, and on certain occasions towards non- and lower alcohol within the beer category, this beer growth is coinciding with a decline both in overall alcohol volumes and in harmful drinking in Europe.

Pierre-Olivier Bergeron, Secretary General of The Brewers of Europe, said: ‘It is fantastic to be able to announce the 10,000th brewery in the European Union. The Brewers of Europe welcomes all new breweries, many of which are SMEs and microbreweries, and we are very much encouraged by their role in diversifying and strengthening the sector as a whole across Europe.

‘More than ever, brewers have stepped up to meet consumers’ expectations for innovation in products, more sustainable production, as well as for increased choice such as lower-alcohol offerings and speciality beers,’ he added

For over half a decade now, beer statistics have told a story of steady and sustained progress, further strengthening beer’s contribution to the European economy as a major consumer good and export commodity.

In the 2019 edition of the report, many national narratives are also evident. Poland is now the second largest beer producer – swapping places with the UK.

France alone has increased the number of breweries in the country by 45% year-on-year, from 1100 to 1600. Slovenia and Ireland saw their brewery numbers rise by 50% and 25% respectively.

Exports have once again increased, with Belgium remaining the largest dispatcher of beer within the EU, just ahead of Germany, whilst the Netherlands continues to export around 40% of its beer production to other parts of the globe.

As demonstrated by the statistics in this report, beer is growing in Europe and in many individual countries and markets – no matter how big or how small.

Bergeron added, ‘We congratulate the passionate, engaged, innovative people in the 10,000 plus breweries that enable our sector to celebrate its progress.’

MEP Štefanec -- who steps up from his role as Vice-President of the Beer Club during the last parliamentary term -- stated: “Brewing in Europe creates over two million jobs and is a great example of the cohabitation of leading global players, well-established local companies and dynamic new SMEs.

“With around ten thousand breweries active across the whole EU, beer is one of Europe’s biggest global success stories. That’s why I am delighted to be the new President of the European Parliament’s Beer Club,” he added.

Štefanec is member of the Parliament’s Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection, Chairman of the Slovak Delegation in the European People’s Party and Chairman of SME Europe.

“Over the last five years, MEP Štefanec was an outstanding Vice-President of the EP Beer Club and a brilliant advocate for our sector. We very much look forward to working further with him during the next EU mandate to make the club an even greater success,” said Pierre-Olivier Bergeron, Secretary General of The Brewers of Europe.

“Following her retirement from the European Parliament, The Brewers of Europe would also wish to take this opportunity to thank Mrs Renate Sommer, the outgoing President, for her years of support to the brewing sector as faithful member and then passionate and active President of the EP Beer Club.”

About the European Parliament Beer Club:

Established in 1995, the European Parliament (EP) Beer Club is a forum for discussion and information exchange about issues that affect the brewing sector within the European Union. The EP Beer Club believes that Beer is part of Europe’s heritage and tradition, and aims to support the responsible growth and stability of the brewing sector in the European Union.

www.epbeerclub.eu

About The Brewers of Europe

Based in Brussels, The Brewers of Europe brings together national brewers’ associations from 29 European countries and provides a voice to support the united interests of Europe’s 9,500 plus breweries. The Brewers of Europe promotes the positive role played by beer and the brewing sector in Europe and advocates the creation of the right conditions to allow brewers to continue to freely, cost-effectively and responsibly brew and market beer across Europe.

The Brewers of Europe provides technical support to the EP Beer Club.

Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin and visit our websites www.brewersofeurope.org.

We, the undersigned 93 European associations representing key European research & innovation stakeholders, hereby urge the EU Institutions to make research, development and innovation (RD&I) a priority within the next Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-2027. We call on the Council of the EU to raise the budget allocated to the Horizon Europe programme to at least €120 billion (in 2018 prices), of which at least 60% should be dedicated to the “Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness” pillar.

We very much welcomed the EU Institutions’ efforts to reach a partial agreement on Horizon Europe. This enabled to start the preparation for the implementation of the programme in time. The European innovation community is committed to be actively involved in a concrete co-creation process towards Horizon Europe’s successful implementation. However, the programme will need an adequate budget at the level of its ambitions. The European Parliament has already taken a stand to prioritise RD&I in the EU budget. Similarly, we encourage Member States to support a budget of at least €120 billion (in 2018 prices). This would ensure that Horizon Europe delivers on its promises to:

• Boost Europe’s future growth, employment and competitiveness. As recognised in the European Industrial Strategy, RD&I is the real engine of growth. Getting a sufficient budget for Horizon Europe would not only mean the creation of up to 100,000 jobs in RD&I activities between 2021-2027, but also €11 of GDP in return for each €1 invested over 25 years (1).
• Secure Europe’s seat amongst the frontrunners of the technological revolution. While the international competition for innovative solutions escalates, European RD&I expenditure remains relatively low compared to our global competitors. The target of 3% of GDP invested in R&D should now become a reality.
• Develop and scale up the technologies that will power our continent in the 21st century. Horizon Europe needs to build on the successes of Horizon 2020 and scale up the investments made so far. As stated by the Lamy Group, we need a budget that paves the way for Europe to deliver on the key societal challenges of today and anticipate those of tomorrow.

For such promises to be fulfilled, excellent cross-border collaborative RD&I with impact needs to be prioritised within Horizon Europe. EU Members States should allocate a budget share of at least 60% of Horizon Europe’s total budget to its pillar II - Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness. This pillar is the truly collaborative part of Horizon Europe, breaking silos to promote the flow of knowledge between public research and industry. This Horizon Europe pillar II is crucial to:

• Build long-term trust-based partnerships amongst a wide variety of European RD&I actorswhich is an indispensable element to strengthen Europe’s RD&I ecosystems and industrial value-chains. This would ensure the Industry’s uptake of novel technologies and scale up into new solutions, products and services, improving people’s well-being and quality of life, and increasing European competitiveness.
• Reduce risk and uncertainty and stimulate business investment in Europeby demonstrating the EU’s support to technology-intensive sectors (including Key Enabling Technologies). This would give the right incentive to private innovators to invest in Europe, rather than abroad.
• Join forces at EU level to better face the great challenges of todayand deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals. The Horizon Europe pillar II, containing missions and partnerships, especially aims at this ambitious objective and therefore needs to be supported by an adequate budget.

We, the undersigned associations, are ready to further discuss these recommendations with the EU Institutions. We are fully convinced that Europe has the potential to lead the global innovation race and to remain a model of economic and social prosperity. For that, Europe needs to strongly invest in pan-European collaborative RD&I.

Download the full press release (pdf) by clicking here

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(1) See: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/sites/beta-political/files/budget-may2018-horizon-europe-regulation_en.pdf

With the departure of the previous Communications Director, Simon Spillane has today expanded his responsibilities at The Brewers of Europe to take up a new post as Director: Communications and Public Affairs. Meanwhile Mathieu Schneider will also see his role broadened, becoming Project Director and also taking on responsibility for the European Brewers Forum, an annual gathering of over a thousand industry figures. As part of the restructuring, Anna-Maria De Smet is upgraded to Senior Director: Regulatory and Public Affairs.

Contact:

Simon Spillane, Director Communications and Public Affairs, +32 2 551 1810 or sws@brewersofeurope.org

About us:

Based in Brussels, The Brewers of Europe brings together national brewers’ associations from 29 European countries and provides a voice to support the united interests of Europe’s 9,500 plus breweries. The Brewers of Europe promotes the positive role played by beer and the brewing sector in Europe and advocates the creation of the right conditions to allow brewers to continue to freely, cost-effectively and responsibly brew and market beer across Europe.

Follow us on  Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin and visit our websites www.brewersofeurope.org.

The ambitious targets were voluntarily agreed with the European Commission and adopted by the General Assembly of The Brewers of Europe in June.

The signing ceremony was attended by The European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety Vytenis Andriukaitis who said:

I am delighted to be part of today’s event. I want to take this opportunity to congratulate you for your commitments to alcohol labelling. And I also want to encourage you to continue being a pioneer around this issue in the wider alcohol sector. Consumers have a right to know more. Many of them want more details on what their drinks contain and what it means for their health. They want this information to be clear and transparent – a recurrent message we receive in all our public health and food safety work.

In the last four years brewers have been voluntarily rolling out ingredients and energy labelling in full accordance with Regulation (EU) 1169/20111, setting ambitious targets along the way. As shown in the implementation report published today, Europe’s brewers have been making significant progress towards better consumer information, with 60% of beers already labelling calories, whilst 85% carry an ingredients list. With the signing by key countries of the MoU, those numbers will already grow significantly by next year.

The purpose of the MoU is that companies take public responsibility for the declaration of ingredients and energy information on the labels of their products, whilst trade associations support these efforts including through setting local sectoral ambitions and collective reporting.

The MoU is open to companies and associations from all alcoholic beverage sectors, provided that the signatory fully endorses the MoU and its commitment to the on-pack labelling of both ingredients and energy values. The ultimate wish is that consumers receive understandable, recognisable, comparable and accurate information for all alcoholic beverages.

“The main thing is to have information clearly displayed on the labels,” commented Mariann Skar, Secretary General of Eurocare. “We hope that by providing more information at least gives people a choice. We are praising the brewers because the information is on the label. Having off-label ingredients and calories, online, is just not good enough.”

Thirty-seven initial signatories, including 25 national brewers’ associations, put their name today to the MoU and the Brewers’ Ambition 2022, as part of an event that showcased hundreds of different beer brands from all over Europe that already meet the labelling requirements, demonstrating the breadth of the commitment and the increasing diversity of a European beer sector that now counts over 9500 breweries.

Signing for The Brewers of Europe, President Pavlos Photiades said: “I am delighted that EU Health Commissioner Andriukaitis has attended the official signing of the MoU and our Brewers’ Ambition 2022. This is a significant step in a process we started four years ago, demonstrating our members’ ambition to ensure all beers label ingredients and calories. Fulfilling this commitment, Europe’s brewing sector is meeting the expectations of consumers on how alcoholic beverages should be providing ingredients and calorie information”.

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Contact:

Simon Spillane, Communications Director, +32 2 551 1810 or sws@brewersofeurope.org

Note to editors:

The MoU, the Brewers’ Ambition 2022 and the latest implementation report can all be found alongside the list of current brewer signatories on beerwisdom.eu.

About us:

Based in Brussels, The Brewers of Europe brings together national brewers’ associations from 29 European countries and provides a voice to support the united interests of Europe’s 9,500 plus breweries. The Brewers of Europe promotes the positive role played by beer and the brewing sector in Europe and advocates the creation of the right conditions to allow brewers to continue to freely, cost-effectively and responsibly brew and market beer across Europe. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and visit our websites www.brewersofeurope.org and www.beerwisdom.eu.

Join the conversation using #BeerWisdom and #ProudToBeClear

There will be a signing of a new ‘memorandum of understanding (MoU)’ with the European Commission in September to formalise the brewers’ commitment.

The MoU supported by brewers is open to companies and associations from all alcoholic beverage sectors, provided that the signatory fully endorses the MoU and its commitment to the on-pack labelling of both ingredients and energy values.

Pierre-Olivier Bergeron, Secretary General of The Brewers of Europe said of the General Assembly’s latest decision, “The Brewers of Europe’s members have set clear ambitions for the next steps towards ensuring all beers label ingredients and calories. I am delighted that EU Health Commissioner Andriukaitis will in September attend the official signing by our members of the MoU and our Ambition 2022.”

In the last four years brewers have been voluntarily rolling out ingredients and energy labelling in full accordance with Regulation (EU) 1169/2011⁽¹⁾. As recently reported, 60% of beers are now labelling calories, whilst 85% already carry an ingredients list.

Commenting following the publication of the brewers’ latest labelling results, EU Health Commissioner Andriukaitis said: “I welcome brewers’ commitment to provide the full list of ingredients and the energy values per 100ml on the labels of all pre-pack beers. The EU Regulation sets the rules to follow and I’m delighted that brewers are fulfilling these high standards.  This is in the interest of public health and consumers information”. 

The purpose of the MoU is that companies take public responsibility for the declaration of both ingredients and energy information on the labels of their products, whilst trade associations support these efforts including through setting local sectoral ambitions and collective reporting. The ultimate objective is that consumers receive understandable, recognisable, comparable and accurate information for all alcoholic beverages.

Pierre-Olivier Bergeron, Secretary General of The Brewers of Europe, added: “Consumers can only be empowered to take informed decisions if there is a level playing field of complete and comparable information on ingredients and energy values. The EU Regulation lays down the rules and standards. We invite the other alcoholic beverage sectors to follow our lead and sign up to the same memorandum of understanding on labelling ingredients and energy information”.

⁽¹⁾ Regulation (EU) 1169/2011 on the provision of food information to consumers sets horizontal rules and standards governing the labelling of all food and drink products

Contact:

Jan de Grave, Communications Director, +32 2 551 1810 or jdg@brewersofeurope.org

Note to editors:

The European brewers’ latest implementation data can be found on beerwisdom.eu.

About us:

Based in Brussels, The Brewers of Europe brings together national brewers’ associations from 29 European countries and provides a voice to support the united interests of Europe’s 9,500 plus breweries. The Brewers of Europe promotes the positive role played by beer and the brewing sector in Europe and advocates the creation of the right conditions to allow brewers to continue to freely, cost-effectively and responsibly brew and market beer across Europe.

Follow us on  Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin and visit our websites www.brewersofeurope.org and www.beerwisdom.eu.

Join the conversation using #BeerWisdom and #Alcohollabelling.

Brewers have been voluntarily rolling out ingredients listing and energy information in full accordance with EU law, on-label and online, since 2015. In July 2018 the commitment was bolstered with a recommendation to all breweries to list ingredients and calories on the labels of pre-packaged beer containers (bottles, cans etc.).

As reported on beerwisdom.eu, in addition to beating the target on energy information, 85% of beers in Europe now also label their ingredients.

The Brewers of Europe, promoting the interests of over 9,500 breweries, is now into the fifth year of its push towards even greater transparency and better information for consumers. Brewers are providing these basic product facts by voluntarily implementing the labelling rules already laid down in the EU’s general regulation on food information to consumers, even if there currently remains an EU level exemption for alcoholic beverages above 1.2% abv from any legal obligation to provide this information.

"I welcome brewers’ commitment to provide the full list of ingredients and the energy values per 100ml on the labels of all pre-pack beers. The EU Regulation sets the rules to follow and I’m delighted that brewers are fulfilling these high standards. This is in the interest of public health and consumers information", said EU Health Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis.

Pierre-Olivier Bergeron, Secretary General of The Brewers of Europe, added, “we are ahead of schedule in fulfilling our landmark voluntary commitment. Today no less than 85% of our beers in the EU label their ingredients and 60% of pre-packed beers label calorie information, per 100ml, the legal reference volume for all drinks, alcoholic or not”. 

The Brewers of Europe commitment is about meeting European consumer demand. According to ^(*) Monique Goyens, Director General of the European Consumer Organisation (BEUC), “It is crucial that nutritional information and ingredients listings are provided for the consumer on the label of alcoholic products and in conformance with the Food Information to Consumers Regulation (1169/2011).”

The Brewers of Europe believes that, by fulfilling its consumer information commitment, Europe’s brewing sector is providing the right template and meeting consumers’ expectations. We will continue reporting on roll-out and inviting the other alcoholic beverage sectors to follow our lead, in order to ensure consumers, receive understandable, recognisable, comparable and accurate information for all drinks.

^(*) Published letter from Monique Goyens to the EU Health Commissioner on the alcohol industry self-regulatory proposal, 12 April 2018

Contact:

Jan de Grave, Communications Director, +32 2 551 1810 or jdg@brewersofeurope.org

Note to editors:

The European brewers’ commitment to providing ingredients and nutrition information can be found here, with the latest implementation data to be found on beerwisdom.eu.

About us:

Based in Brussels, The Brewers of Europe brings together national brewers’ associations from 29 European countries and provides a voice to support the united interests of Europe’s 9,500 plus breweries. The Brewers of Europe promotes the positive role played by beer and the brewing sector in Europe and advocates the creation of the right conditions to allow brewers to continue to freely, cost-effectively and responsibly brew and market beer across Europe.

Follow us on  Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin and visit our websites www.brewersofeurope.org and www.beerwisdom.eu.

Join the conversation using #BeerWisdom and #Alcohollabelling.

BRUSSELS 5 December 2018.  EU Commissioner for Health and Food Safety Vytenis Andriukaitis has again praised brewers for their commitment to improved consumer information.

Speaking today at the annual general assembly of The Brewers of Europe, Commissioner Andriukaitis said “I welcome the commitment of the Brewers of Europe to provide the full list of ingredients and the calorie content on all pre-packed beers. This will help the people in the EU to make better informed and, I hope, healthier choices. Transparency has been one of the trendiest words in the food and drink industry in recent years - a clear illustration that it is important to consumers. Therefore, I call upon the whole beer industry to implement the commitment to meet consumer expectations.”

The Brewers of Europe’s latest statistics publication on the state of the beer sector reported that no-alcohol and lower-alcohol beer now represents 6% of the EU beer market. EU Health Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis commented:

“It is interesting to observe the increased production & consumption of non-alcoholic 0.0% beer. It shows that healthier choices have become more popular among consumers and that the industry is adapting well to this demand. It is one of those win-win situations: healthier choices for people and new market for producers.”

This comes as brewers have already been setting a leading example for the sector, choosing to implement transparency measures so consumers can make informed choices about their beer.

Previously in 2015, The Brewers of Europe announced a commitment to voluntarily provide understandable, recognisable, comparable and accurate consumer information, one of over 100 responsibility commitments made by Europe’s brewers under the Beer Pledge.

Pierre-Olivier Bergeron, Secretary-General of The Brewers of Europe said “The Beer Pledge is our 6-year strong commitment to support EU Member States in reducing alcohol related harm. In addition, we have stepped up our voluntary commitment on consumer information. In July we recommended to all breweries to list ingredients and calories on the labels of pre-pack containers. We now estimate that by the end of this year no less than 3 out of 4 beers will label ingredients and 1 out of 2 beers will label calorie information per 100ml, on-pack”.

The latest report for the beer sector was launched yesterday at the eighth annual Beer Serves Europe event, showing that beer consumption within the EU fell slightly year-on-year. However, the trend over the past four years has been an increase in beer consumption, (though still a way off the levels prior to the global economic crisis in 2008) whilst coinciding with a drop in overall alcohol consumption, binge drinking and adolescent drinking.

A 2018 Reputation Institute survey of over 10,000 Europeans of legal drinking age in 12 counties found that nearly half are making moderate alcohol consumption part of their lifestyle or culture and now recognise the innovative low- and no-alcohol options offered by brewers. In 2017, the EU produced nearly 900 million litres of non-alcoholic* beer, according to the data collected by Eurostat.

This demonstrates that a shift towards beer, a typically low alcohol beverage, coupled with the increased availability of even lower alcohol and non-alcoholic beers, is compatible with and maybe even contributing to the improved consumption patterns of Europe’s ever more health-conscious citizens.

Notes to editors:

The 2015 European brewers’ commitment to listing ingredients and nutrition information can be found here.

Launched in the European Parliament in 2012, The European Beer pledge is a voluntary initiative by Europe’s brewers to support EU members states in reducing alcohol related harm.

Press release 9 July 2018: Europe’s brewers continue to lead by example on food information to consumers

Contact:

Jan de Grave, Communications Director, +32 (0)2 551 1810, jdg@brewersofeurope.org

About us:

Based in Brussels, The Brewers of Europe brings together national brewers’ associations from 29 European countries and provides a voice to support the united interests of Europe’s 9,500 breweries. The Brewers of Europe promotes the positive role played by beer and the brewing sector in Europe and advocates the creation of the right conditions to allow brewers to continue to freely, cost-effectively and responsibly brew and market beer across Europe. Follow us on Twitter and visit our website.

BRUSSELS 4 December 2018. Europe’s beer production rose to an eight-year high in 2017 bolstered by record exports, a rise in micro-breweries and increased low-alcohol products.

According to The Brewers of Europe’s latest report on Europe’s beer sector, production increased by 2 million HL 39.6 billion litres and exports reached an all-time high. Now one in five beers is shipped abroad, a third of that to outside the EU.

With a production of 9.3 billion litres Germany was the top producer - one in every five beers produced in the EU originates from Germany, followed by the United Kingdom and Poland (both at 4 billion litres produced, each representing 10% of the total). German and Belgian breweries exported the most beer outside their countries, 1.5 billion litres each.

In addition, the EU now produces nearly 900 million litres of non-alcoholic* beer (2% of all beer) each year, according to the data collected by Eurostat for 2017, whilst production of lower alcohol beers is also growing. This, coupled with the rise in the number of microbrewers and SMEs over the past year, shows how consumer demand is evolving and how the sector is diversifying to meet it. Around 3 quarters of the 9,500 breweries are SMEs, with the United Kingdom alone now accounting for 2,430 breweries, many of which are smaller producers.

Speaking at the 8^th annual Beer Serves Europe launch event today, Pierre-Olivier Bergeron, Secretary-General of The Brewers of Europe said “Beer forms an integral part of our culture and has been enjoyed in communities across Europe for several thousand years. The brewing sector is a fundamental element of the European economy, combining local traditions with innovation. The diversification of the sector benefits many areas of the economy: in competitiveness, trade, job creation and innovation.”

1: Europe’s buoyant beer sector

• EU beer production at an eight-year high of nearly 39.7 billion litres
• Germany, UK, Poland top producers in 2017
• Two-thirds of the beer produced in the EU came from seven Member States.

Germany, the United Kingdom and Poland were the top three producers. Other countries making a high volume of beer were Spain (3.8 billion litres, or 9%), The Netherlands (2.4 billion litres, or 6%), France (2.1 billion litres or 5%) and Belgium (approximately 2 billion litres or 5%).

Compared with 2016, Portugal (+8%) recorded the highest increase in the production of beer, followed by Italy (+7%), Slovakia and the United Kingdom (both +6%) and Cyprus (+5%).

• The number of active breweries increased by nearly 1,000 last year alone to almost 9,500 in the EU.
• There has been an increase of around 6,000 breweries in the last 10 years.

Of the 9,500 breweries, about three-quarters are microbrewers and SMEs, driving for ever greater diversity and choice now available for Europe’s beer consumers. With 2,430 breweries, the United Kingdom has the highest number of breweries in the EU, followed by Germany (1,492), France (1,100), Italy (868) and Spain (521).

2: Consumer demand is evolving

It is interesting to note that the increase in beer consumption over the last four years (though still a way off the levels prior to the global economic crisis in 2008) has coincided with a drop in overall alcohol consumption, binge drinking and adolescent drinking.

This demonstrates that a shift towards beer, a typically low alcohol beverage, coupled with the increased availability of even lower alcohol and non-alcoholic beers, is compatible with and maybe even contributing to the improved consumption patterns of Europe’s ever more health-conscious citizens.

Leading by example, Brewers are also committed to transparency so consumers can make informed choices about their beer. By the end of this year, two-thirds of Europe’s beer will be labelling ingredients and over half will be voluntarily labelling calories in the same way that other food and drink products already have to do. Our commitment to voluntarily provide understandable, recognisable, comparable and accurate consumer information is just one of the 100+ responsibility commitments made by Europe’s brewers under the Beer Pledge. This pledge is our 6-year strong commitment to support EU Member States reduce alcohol-related harm.

A 2018 Reputation Institute survey of over 10,000 Europeans of legal drinking age in 12 countries found that nearly half are making moderate alcohol consumption part of their lifestyle or culture and now recognise the innovative low- and no-alcohol options offered by brewers.

3: Beer serves Europe, let’s treat it fairly

Europe’s brewers call for a sustainable tax regime that recognises beer's positive impact throughout the value chain, from ‘grain to glass’. Throughout the value chain, our 9,500 breweries generate around 2.3 million jobs in Europe. Governments across the EU raise nearly €42 billion in tax revenues generated by brewing, including €10.9 billion in excise duties on beer.

• The brewing sector injects €50 billion into the European economy overall, or the equivalent of the Luxembourg GDP.

4: Europe’s beers serve the world

As one of Europe’s premier cultural exports, beer is enjoyed around the world – supporting the sector and creating jobs at home. Many member states have increased their exports, now 8.7 billion litres of beer brewed within the EU is shipped abroad.

• Beer exported beyond the EU was worth €3.4 billion last year.
• The top destination countries outside the EU for Europe’s brewers are the US, China and Canada, but over the past twenty years Europe’s brewers have extended beer trade to 123 countries around the world.

Data collected by Eurostat for 2017 shows that the United States was by far the main destination for beer exports to non-EU countries (1.1 billion litres of beer exported there in 2017, or 31% of total extra-EU exports of beer), followed by China (520 million litres, 15%), Canada (210 million litres, 6%), Korea (175 million litres, 5%), Switzerland (111 million litres, 3%) , Australia (100 million liters,3%) and Taiwan (95 million litres, 3%).

• Belgium and Germany are Europe’s biggest beer exporters, with 1.5 billion litres shipped abroad by each country last year, of which over a third to countries beyond the EU. These two countries are followed closely by The Netherlands (1.4 billion litres), then France (0.7 billion litres) and the United Kingdom (0.6 billion litres).

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Notes to Editors:

The 2018 edition of Beer Statistics was compiled from data collated by national brewers’ associations through surveys carried out by The Brewers of Europe and Eurostat.

Eurostat trade data for 2017 can be viewed here.

Historical analysis is supported by information in The Contribution made by Beer to the European Economy, a report commissioned by The Brewers of Europe and conducted by Europe Economics, released in February 2016.

*Non-alcoholic beer is defined as beer that is 0.5% alcohol by volume (abv) or lower.

Contact: Jan de Grave, Communications Director, +32 (0)2 551 1810, jdg@brewersofeurope.org

About us: Based in Brussels, The Brewers of Europe brings together national brewers’ associations from 29 European countries and provides a voice to support the united interests of Europe’s 9,500 breweries. The Brewers of Europe promotes the positive role played by beer and the brewing sector in Europe and advocates the creation of the right conditions to allow brewers to continue to freely, cost-effectively and responsibly brew and market beer across Europe. Follow us on Twitter and visit our website.

Piero Perron will be sorely missed, having been an ever present in The Brewers of Europe General Assembly for the last fifteen years, as an active member of both the Italian and the Spanish brewers’ delegations. 
 
As President of The Brewers of Europe from 2002 to 2006, Piero Perron laid the foundations for today's Association. It is under his chairmanship and with his personal dedication, touring Europe as a voice for strength in unity and purpose across the brewing sector, that the number of Member Associations of The Brewers of Europe doubled within just a few years. It is under his guidance and leadership, not just during but also following his Presidency, that the governance of The Brewers of Europe was modernised and the social responsibility of Europe's brewing sector became a crucial topic at the heart of The Brewers of Europe.

Piero Perron was not only a dedicated believer in The Brewers of Europe, but he equally saw strong National Brewers Associations as crucial to the sustainability of a vibrant, successful brewing sector, serving over the years as President both of the Brewers of Spain and of the Italian Beer and Malt Association.

Finally, it is also on a personal level, with his interest and passion for learning and sharing experiences, that Piero touched the lives of so many across Europe’s brewing fraternity and beyond. At this sad time, we have special thoughts for Piero's family, especially his wife Angela and for all those who had a chance to work closely with him.

The Brewers of Europe owe Piero a lot

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Contact: 

Jan de Grave, Communications Director, +32 (0)2 551 1810, jdg@brewersofeurope.org

About us:

Based in Brussels, The Brewers of Europe brings together national brewers’ associations from 29 European countries and provides a voice to support the united interests of Europe’s 8,500 breweries. The brewing sector adds €50bn annually to the EU economy and provides over 2.3 million jobs. Follow us on Twitter and visit our website www.brewersofeurope.org.

According to the EU Treaties (Article 113), following a proposal from the European Commission, the Council shall adopt provisions for the harmonisation of legislation concerning excise duties, “to the extent that such harmonisation is necessary to ensure the establishment and the functioning of the internal market and to avoid distortion of competition.”

Whilst supporting the remainder of the Commission’s proposals for revisions to the EU’s Structures Directive (92/83/EEC), MEPs sensibly chose to adopt in Strasbourg amendments that reject the Commission’s proposal to distort competition through a tax system whereby, in any given country, flavoured beers and regular beers of the same alcohol content end up paying a different tax rate. 

“We are pleased that the European Parliament has supported our recommendation to not unfairly penalise certain categories of beer,” said Pierre-Olivier Bergeron, Secretary-General of The Brewers of Europe. “It is laid down in the Directives that excise duty’s purpose is to tax the alcohol consumed in products. Flavourings added after fermentation have no impact on alcohol content, so should have no impact on the tax paid.”

The ‘Degrees Plato’ is the traditional means, still used in half of the EU member states as an alternative to ABV (alcohol by volume), to calculate beer excise duties on the basis of the concentration of fermentable sugars prior to fermentation. In May of this year, a landmark case brought before the European Court of Justice ruled that, since ingredients added after fermentation have zero impact on the alcohol content of the beer, they should also have zero impact on the degree Plato for excise purposes.

The discussion now moves back to the Council, which must “have regard to” the opinion of the European Parliament.

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Contact: 

Jan de Grave, Communications Director, +32 (0)2 551 1810, jdg@brewersofeurope.org

About us:

Based in Brussels, The Brewers of Europe brings together national brewers’ associations from 29 European countries and provides a voice to support the united interests of Europe’s 8,500 breweries. The brewing sector adds €50bn annually to the EU economy and provides over 2.3 million jobs. Follow us on Twitter and visit our website www.brewersofeurope.org.

As the Council’s tax working groups resume their discussions next week on the European Commission’s “Proposal amending Directive 92/83/EEC on the harmonisation of the structures of excise duties on alcohol and alcoholic beverages”, The Brewers of Europe calls upon the Council, the European Parliament, the EESC and the European Commission to ensure that the revised Structures Directive is lawful and delivers on its objectives.

Secretary General of The Brewers of Europe, Pierre-Olivier Bergeron, said, “Member States would be in breach of EU law if they were to follow the clarification provided in the revised structures directive as it is currently proposed by the Commission.”

By the European Commission making a proposal that "all the ingredients of the beer, including those added after fermentation, shall be taken into account for the purposes of measuring the degree Plato", it is no longer solely a tax on the alcohol. Under the Commission’s proposal and in contradiction with the CJEU judgment, these sugars would be considered for the measurement of the degree Plato and therefore the calculation of the excise due.

The result is that a flavoured beer – even if produced by a brewery of the same size, in the same country – would be subject to a higher rate than a regular beer of the same alcohol content. This is discriminatory and completely contradictory to the harmonisation objectives of the Directives.

The Brewers of Europe sent its latest letter to Europe’s Taxation Commissioner, Pierre Moscovici, expressing brewers’ dissatisfaction and disbelief at the Commission’s proposal to contradict the decision of the EU’s highest court (Case C-30/17).

Bergeron added: “Our correspondence with the Taxation Commissioner shows that the sole justification found for the contentious proposals relates to the technical, practical and economic challenges of measuring and enforcing Plato legally and correctly. However, we are submitting evidence that shows these concerns are completely unfounded.”  It is noteworthy that none of the countries already applying Plato in line with the CJEU ruling cited any concerns with measuring Plato correctly or carrying out compliance checks.

Whilst The Brewers of Europe supports the majority of the Commission’s proposal, to ensure Better Regulation and respect of the Rule of Law, we call upon the Council and the European Parliament to reject this part of the proposal and invite the Commission to amend it to clarify that ingredients added after fermentation shall not be considered for the purposes of measuring the degree Plato.

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Note to editors: 

Degrees Plato is a scale for measuring the ratio of water to fermentable sugar in beer. It is used as an alternative to ABV – alcohol by volume – in half of EU Member States to calculate beer excise duties.

In its ruling on 17 May, the European Court of Justice clarifying the Degrees Plato calculation was clear that you cannot have a system for taxing the alcohol content of beer whereby flavoured beer and a regular beer - of the same alcohol content, produced by breweries of the same size, in the same country – pay a different rate.  Visit: mediacenter The Brewers of Europe

In 2015 the brewing sector added €10.9bn in total excise duty for EU governments.

Europe’s brewers call for a sustainable tax regime that recognises beer's positive impact throughout the value chain, from ‘grain to glass’. Visit www.beerserveseurope.eu

Contact: 

Jan de Grave, Communications Director, +32 (0)2 551 1810, jdg@brewersofeurope.org

About us:

Based in Brussels, The Brewers of Europe brings together national brewers’ associations from 29 European countries and provides a voice to support the united interests of Europe’s 8,500 breweries. The brewing sector adds €50bn annually to the EU economy and provides over 2.3 million jobs. Follow us on Twitter and visit our website www.brewersofeurope.org.

Brewers have since 2015 been voluntarily rolling out ingredients listing and calorie information in full accordance with EU law, on-label and online. As we celebrate our 3rd anniversary, we’re more determined than ever to meet consumers’ expectations.

“Today we are taking our commitment even further. I am proud to announce that The Brewers of Europe is bolstering its commitment with a recommendation to all breweries to list ingredients and calories on the labels of pre-pack containers”, said Pierre-Olivier Bergeron, Secretary General of The Brewers of Europe.

The decision to voluntarily provide this information is just one of the +100 responsibility commitments made by Europe’s brewers under the Beer Pledge. This pledge is our 6-year strong commitment to support EU Member States in reducing alcohol related harm.

The consumer information commitment was recently praised by EU Health Commissioner Andriukaitis: “I appreciate the rigour and ambition with which The Brewers of Europe and the beer sector have been committed to providing information to consumers.”

Pierre-Olivier Bergeron, Secretary General of The Brewers of Europe, added, “we are on track in fulfilling our landmark voluntary commitment. We now estimate that by end 2018, no less than 3 out of 4 beers in the EU will label their ingredients and 1 out of 2 beers will label calorie information, per 100ml, the legal reference volume for all drinks, alcoholic or not”.

The Brewers of Europe commitment is about meeting consumers’ expectations. Monique Goyens, Director General of the European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) said that, “It is crucial that nutritional information and ingredients listings are provided for the consumer on the label of alcoholic products and in conformance with the Food Information to Consumers Regulation (1169/2011).”

The Brewers of Europe believes that, by fulfilling its consumer information commitment, Europe’s brewing sector is providing the right template and meeting consumers’ expectations. We will continue reporting on roll-out and inviting the other alcoholic beverage sectors to follow our lead, in order to ensure consumers, receive understandable, recognisable, comparable and accurate information for all drinks.

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Contact:

Jan de Grave, Communications Director, +32 2 551 1810 or jdg@brewersofeurope.org

Note to editors:

The 2015 European brewers’ commitment to listing ingredients and nutrition information can be found here.

Launched in the European Parliament in 2012, The European Beer pledge is a voluntary initiative by Europe’s brewers to support EU members states in reducing alcohol related harm.

About us: 

Based in Brussels, The Brewers of Europe brings together national brewers’ associations from 29 European countries and provides a voice to support the united interests of Europe’s 8,500 breweries. The Brewers of Europe promotes the positive role played by beer and the brewing sector in Europe and advocates the creation of the right conditions to allow brewers to continue to freely, cost-effectively and responsibly brew and market beer across Europe. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and visit our websites www.brewersofeurope.org and www.beerwisdom.eu.

Join the conversation using #BeerWisdom and #RightToKnow.

Pavlos Photiades was re-elected President of The Brewers of Europe for a second term at today’s annual general meeting of the Association in Brussels. Pavlos Photiades commented on his appointment, “I am honoured to continue in this role at such an exciting and challenging time for brewers. I look forward to working with the team on issues affecting our sector at large.”   

Mr. Photiades is Managing Director of Photos Photiades Breweries and Photos Photiades Group, the leading brewery and beverage production and distribution group of companies in Cyprus and has been serving as a President of The Brewers of Europe since 2016.

With EU beer production rising above 40 billion litres for the first time since the economic crisis and 20 new breweries opening every week, today Europe is home to over 8,500 breweries. A successful mix of world-leading multinationals, deep-rooted regional breweries, and thriving SMEs, Europe’s brewers generate an estimated 2.3 million jobs from ‘grain to glass’. 

Upon his last election, Mr. Photiades had commented “Europe’s brewing world is changing fast with the combined trends of consolidation and the blossoming of small and medium-sized breweries. I will see to it that [we} capitalise on these changes”. 

Two years later, Mr. Photiades’ ongoing leadership and dedication have contributed largely to the creation of the first ever Brewers Forum event in Brussels. Tomorrow, The Brewers of Europe will welcome hundreds of brewing professionals from 40 countries for two days of exhibitions, debates, tasting and seminars about beer.

Pierre-Olivier Bergeron, Secretary General of The Brewers of Europe congratulated Mr. Photiades on his appointment, saying “Since joining The Brewers of Europe Board several years ago and for the past two years serving as President, Pavlos Photiades has proven himself to be an invaluable member of the Association’s top level of governance. I look forward to continuing our great collaboration. He has already made a big contribution to the work of The Brewers of Europe”.

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Note to editors: Mr. Pavlos Photiades (born 1964) is Managing Director of Photos Photiades Breweries and Photos Photiades Group, the leading brewery and beverage production and distribution group of companies in Cyprus with subsidiaries in Greece, Romania, Slovenia and Croatia. Photos Photiades Group is also involved in Insurance and Real Estate Development. Mr. Photiades has served on the Board of Directors of several public companies in Cyprus and Greece and has been serving as a President of The Brewers of Europe since 2016. Mr. Photiades studied Economics at Harvard University where he graduated in 1988 having been awarded twice the Harvard Scholarship for academic achievement. He also holds an MBA from INSEAD.

Contact: Jan de Grave, Communications Director, +32 495 583 070 or jdg@brewersofeurope.org   

About us: Based in Brussels, The Brewers of Europe brings together national brewers’ associations from 29 European countries and provides a voice to support the united interests of Europe’s 8,500 breweries. The Brewers of Europe promotes the positive role played by beer and the brewing sector in Europe and advocates the creation of the right conditions to allow brewers to continue to freely, cost-effectively and responsibly brew and market beer across Europe. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and visit our website www.brewersofeurope.org.