Council of the Vilnius Division of Lietuvos Sajudis
His Excellency President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy
Director-General of the World Health Organization Margaret Chan
European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Policy Tonio Borg
Members of the European Parliament
Her Excellency President of the Republic of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaite
Speaker of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania Loreta Grauziniene
Prime Minister of the Republic of Lithuania Algirdas Butkevicius
Minister of Health of the Republic of Lithuania Rimante Salaseviciute
President of the Lithuanian World Community Danguole Navickiene
Members of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania
Members of the Seimas of the Lithuanian World Community
People of Lithuania
Media
ADDRESS
On the Labelling of Alcoholic Beverages
Vilnius, 01-10-2014
On 26 September 2014 Vilnius hosted the first Baltic conference “Prevention of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders”. The conference was attended by some 400 people. Accomplished Lithuanian, US, Canadian, Dutch, Estonian, Latvian and WHO scientists, doctors, politicians, students, teachers, social workers and public figures shared their scientific achievements and experience relating to the influence of alcohol on pregnancy. The conference participants explained in great detail that mothers who consume alcohol during pregnancy condemn their unborn children to psychological, mental and physical disabilities and suffering – as soon as they reach maturity, they will contribute to the circle of the disabled and the condemned. The information provided posed a number of questions and problems to be solved, the prevention of alcohol abuse being one of the major problems, because the production and consumption of alcohol are on the rise in the world and the ensuing negative effects are growing on a rapid scale.
In 2014 the World Health Organization announced that Lithuania takes THE FIRST POSITION among the EU Member States by annual alcohol consumption per capita – each resident of our country consumes 15.4 l of absolute ethyl alcohol.
On 2 July 1998 the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania approved the Lithuanian Health Programme. Its aim was to reduce alcohol consumption by 25% until 2010. In 1998 each resident of Lithuania consumed the average amount of 9.1 l of absolute ethyl alcohol. It was planned that by 2010 each Lithuanian citizen would consume the average amount of around 6.8 l of absolute alcohol. However, in 2010 each resident consumed the average of 10.9 l, which means that every citizen of Lithuania drank 4.1 l of absolute alcohol more compared to the commitments made by the State under the programmes of the Seimas and the Government. THE INDICATORS ARE CATASTROPHIC.
On 6 December 2011 the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania amended the Law on Alcohol Control by cancelling the alcohol advertising ban in record short time. Back then the Seimas disregarded the appeals of a lot of Lithuanian people, public organizations and the Catholic Church asking to impose a ban on alcohol advertising in Lithuania and to go on with the sobering policy in Lithuania. Top Lithuanian leaders and politicians achieved that Lithuania is now sinking deeper and deeper into the morass of alcohol and established itself among the EU leaders BY ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION.
Owing to the growing alcohol consumption, the Council of the Vilnius Division of Lietuvos Sąjūdis has for a number of times addressed Lithuanian leaders, authorities and politicians – THEY SHOW NO REACTION WHATSOEVER. On 4 June 2014 the Council wrote a letter to His Holiness Pope Francis about Lithuania, which is being destroyed by alcohol.
The Council of the Vilnius Division of Lietuvos Sajudis HEREBY CONCLUDES:
1. The production and consumption of alcohol are growing in the world.
2. Europe’s alcohol consumers are ahead of other continents.
3. Every day alcohol business draws new people into the circle of alcohol addicted individuals by condemning them to suffering and degeneration because alcohol addicts degrade and give birth to the generation of alcoholics who are hardly susceptible to any treatment.
4. Children who are diagnosed with diseases caused by alcohol abuse during pregnancy and become potential disease carriers are born every day.
5. Alcohol consumption had been the cause of outcomes greater and more formidable than those of wars.
6. Public authorities, officials and politicians try to combat the manifestations of discrimination of human beings, terror attacks, violations of the Constitution and legal acts, disease agents but they do not try to fight the destruction of civilization caused by the industry of alcohol posing the greatest threat to our society and future generations.
7. People are well aware that there is not a single businessman engaged in the production that would be loss-making but the State nevertheless puts a burden of negative alcohol effects on the shoulders of its citizens.
8. We should not forget that the whites tried to destroy native civilizations with the ‘burning water’, i.e. alcohol. We should also know that like their victims, the whites are mostly affected by alcohol in the world.
9. Everybody knows that public authorities, officials and politicians plan alcohol industry as the branch generating enormous profits, while its losses and negative effects are and will be placed on the shoulders of the country’s citizens – IT IS THE MOST IMMORAL POLICY HUMILIATING HUMAN DIGNITY AND THE PROVISIONS ENSHRINED IN THE CONSTITUTION.
10. Certain parties and party members as well as state officials promote the development of alcohol business and the creation of new jobs in alcohol industry because they are being THANKED and ensured preferential conditions to participate in the media.
11. Many are aware that the amount spent by the State for the liquidation of effects of alcohol abuse is 5 times greater than the amount generated from the trade in alcoholic beverages.
12. Everybody knows that beer, cider, champagne and energy drinks are especially harmful to the health of young people – they are the very first drinks helping to draw the youth into alcoholism.
13. It is universally accepted to label the items, objects, phenomena and products that are harmful and dangerous to our health by using specific symbols, e.g. a symbol of the skull and crossbones.
14. One of the major measures of alcohol prevention is to impose a ban on alcohol advertising.
15. Responsibility for the growing alcohol consumption and the rapidly spreading negative effects must be taken by the leading public authorities, politicians and businessmen.
The Council of the Vilnius Division of Lietuvos Sajudis hereby:
1. Asks you to inform the heads of state about this address and to save people from the threats posed by alcohol abuse.
2. Asks you to reduce alcohol consumption among pregnant women and the youth in the most urgent and effective manner possible.
3. Requests to prohibit alcohol advertising.
4. Proposes to print a skull-and-crossbones symbol on the labels of alcoholic beverages taking 75% of the label.
Chairman of the Council L. Kerosierius
Head of Economic and Social Group R. Jakuciuniene
Board members of Vilnius Sajudis:
G. Adomaitis, A. Akelaitis, A. Ambrazas, A. Augulis, A. Bagdanaviciene, K. Balciunas, S. Boreika, A. Budriunas, I. Buinickaite, J. Cesnavicius, P. Dirse, S. Eidukonis, P. Gvazdauskas, R. Jakuciuniene, J. Jaramaitiene, J. Kaminskaite, A. Kaziukonis, L. Kerosierius, J. Kuoras, S. Makauskiene, A. Markuniene, H. Martinkenas, V. Masikonis, K. Milius, V. Nivinskiene, J. Parnarauskas, F. Petkus, V. Ramanauskas, P. Rutkauskas, R. Simonaitis, P. Sakalauskas, L. Tamkeviciene, L. Velickaite, K. Vidziunas, R. Vilimiene, B. Zavisa, S. Zilinskas
For more information: Gedimino pr. 1, Vilnius, Sajudis, Lithuania. Telephones: A. Budriunas: +370 673 95837, L. Kerosierius:, +370 5 2318111, P. Rutkauskas: +370 699 37691, R. Jakuciuniene: +370 675 94107 e-mail vilnius@sajudis.com www.sajudis.com
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