Countries express concern to WTO about Irish health warning label bill; EU and WHO offer defenses

During a meeting of the Technical Barriers to Trade Committee of the World Trade Organization, numerous countries – including Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, and the United States – raised concerns regarding Ireland’s new regulations mandating health warning labels on all alcohol beverages, arguing that the new requirements would create new costs, were incompatible with European law, and did not reflect objective scientific evidence.

A representative of the European Union reportedly argued, however, that companies could use stickers with the required labelling information on products exported to Ireland and that the transition period of three years would provide adequate preparation time. The World Health Organization reportedly argued during the meeting that “no level of alcohol consumption can be considered safe for health.”