"First of all I would like to thank you for your participation in this meeting.

This Joint Action on Reducing Alcohol Related Harm is an initiative for CNAPA members, with the contribution of Unit C4 Health Determinants, from the European Commission. So because we strongly believe that reducing alcohol related harm is a hard task to achieve, all initiatives are welcome. At this point I would like to thank all the CNAPA members for their support since the beginning of this process.

I also would like to thank the Work Package Leaders and Co-Leaders for their work elaborating the Work Package contents, helping us to prepare and submit the call and putting the Action in progress.

A special thank to Marjatta for her support and expertise.

Thanks also to you all and the governments you represent for supporting the Joint Action, namely by financing the initiative in a higher percentage than the contribution from the European Commission.

Now at the end of this RARHA working week, I have to thank the Coordination Team not only for preparing the submission of the call, but also for all the work done until today. Thank you Patricia, Sofia, Ana, Cláudia and Mónica.

I was aware that assume the leading of the Dissemination Work Package wouldn’t be an easy task and it was a big challenge for SICAD, but since the beginning I believed that we would succeed and I want to congratulate the SICAD Dissemination Team for the great job they have done. A special thank to Filipa, who unfortunately was not able to be here with us, for the fantastic job she has made preparing RARHA identity.

Allow me to take this opportunity to share with you some key messages:

• Reducing alcohol related harm is a huge task to be accomplished
• RARHA is a Member States initiative
• We have on board 27 from the 28 European Union Member States, plus Iceland, Norway and Switzerland
• 32 Associated Partners and 28 Collaborating Partners, including WHO, EMCDDA, OECD and Pompidou Group are participating in the Joint Action
• Member States contribute with 53% of the budget
• We have here today several stakeholders from the European Alcohol and Health Forum and from the Portuguese Alcohol Health Forum.

We are all devoted in reducing alcohol related harm or the harmful use of alcohol. Saying this, in my opinion it is clear, very clear that it is time to have a new commitment from the European Commission, preparing a new EU Alcohol Strategy, maybe with the correspondent action plan. It is also clear to me, looking to the Member States engagement in the monitoring Work Package and their interest in having comparable data, that the European Commission should help Member States in applying more often surveys, supporting part of the costs involved. From us, the European Commission has for sure the commitment that we will accomplish the objectives of RARHA.

The Kick Off is done, let’s continue our work and do our best!

Finally, let me once again thank you for coming, I wish you a safe trip back home and for those staying for the weekend, enjoy Lisbon!"