Geert Van Lerberghe (Vinum Et Spiritus): "The minister's objective is to denormalize alcohol consumption"

INTERVIEW - The federal government is attacking a national monument. By mandating the radical warning "alcohol harms," decision-makers are sweeping away the nuance between moderate enjoyment and abuse, denounces the General Manager of Vinum Et Spiritus. The sector federation regrets this tightening "without an in-depth evaluation," which goes against the proactive best practices of the stakeholders, and is concerned about the deleterious effects… on the financial health of our entrepreneurs.

By imposing a warning about harmfulness on alcohol advertisements, the De Wever government is touching a politically sensitive nerve, not to mention a deep cultural taboo. The Minister of Health is defending the general interest, relying on a scientific consensus recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO). However, Belgian brewers have already denounced what the entire alcoholic beverage industry feared: a public shaming. This economic flagship fears less for its image than for its finances. The new bans constitute a frontal attack on its expertise, its responsibility, and its viability.

"In terms of alcohol policy, Belgium was already not among the laggards today, but rather among the pioneers," Geert Van Lerberghe reminds us immediately, as if to set the scene. The General Manager of Vinum Et Spiritus, the Belgian federation of producers and distributors of wines and spirits, readily cites international figures showing that our country achieves solid results.

In a recent WHO monitoring report, the data showed that avoidable mortality is decreasing faster in Belgium than the European average and that Belgians even showed the highest percentage decrease in alcohol consumption. "This confirms that a thoughtful approach, focused on overconsumption and at-risk groups, works," remarks the ambassador for our winemakers and spirit producers. Interview.

GONDOLA FOODSERVICE: The recent draft law now imposes the mention "alcohol harms health" in marketing. You certainly also believe that this unequivocal warning blurs consumer appreciation and stigmatizes your sector, which focuses on quality and terroir rather than volume?

GEERT VAN LERBERGHE: It is indeed a real risk. This "all or nothing" approach does not take into account the distinction – which is nonetheless recognized in the government agreement and the alcohol plan – between moderate consumption and alcohol abuse. Yet, it is precisely this distinction that is crucial for correctly informing consumers about potential health risks. The existing inter-federal alcohol plan rightly focuses on reducing abuse. Furthermore, the sector had proactively taken its responsibilities by voluntarily adapting the mention "Alcohol abuse harms health," replacing the old slogan "Our expertise is enjoyed with wisdom," in perfect alignment with the plan's objectives.

The warning "Alcohol harms health" does not help people who drink to accurately assess their individual health risks and ignores other aspects of moderate alcohol consumption. Effective risk communication should precisely encourage people to make conscious and responsible choices, instead of delivering only a binary message that leaves no room for nuance.

Belgium is moving down an increasingly restrictive path. According to your analysis, what is the real impact of these advertising bans on small Belgian producers and distributors, who do not have the budgets of multinationals to bypass these obstacles to their visibility?

To survive in the current economic climate, entrepreneurs need regulatory stability and predictability. A regulatory framework that changes constantly, and in this specific case without an in-depth evaluation, hinders investment, innovation, and entrepreneurship. The current system of self-regulation offers precisely clear guidelines as well as flexibility. It combines social responsibility with operational viability for companies, which is essential to allow a sector focusing on quality and local roots to continue to grow.

While the Royal Decree (RD) on alcohol advertising is motivated by the minister as an ultimate protection for our minors, its objective seems, with this un-nuanced warning, to consist mainly of denormalizing alcohol consumption in general. The consequences will be felt by all economic actors, and notably by local ones.

The ban targets media that are "primarily intended for minors." Given the porosity of social networks and the action of algorithms, this definition is often subject to interpretation. Do you fear legal uncertainty for companies communicating via Instagram or TikTok, even when they are addressing an adult audience?

Legal uncertainty is indeed a major point of concern. It is precisely for this reason that the sector, in concert with partners such as retail, Horeca (hospitality), and the advertising sector, has already proactively set clear agreements in the alcohol convention. For example, it is established that no advertising can be broadcast when the target audience is composed of at least 30% of young people under 25. If the platforms cannot offer this guarantee, there is simply no advertising via that platform.

In other words, the sector has been taking its responsibilities for a long time. Moreover, these agreements are regularly evaluated and adjusted. This demonstrates that self-regulation is agile and capable of adapting to developments such as social networks, which a rigid legislation often finds more difficult to do.

The project provides an exception for tastings but prohibits the free offering of drinks. How does the sector intend to prevent this distinction from resulting in an administrative headache at trade fairs, cultural events, or domain visits, where free tasting is often the rule?

Here, it is mainly a gap between regulation and practice that threatens to widen. In sectors like ours, tastings are precisely an essential element of the experience, education, and qualitative positioning. It is therefore crucial that the execution of this measure remains clear, feasible, and proportionate.

The report to the King accompanying the RD contains various examples illustrating the exceptions to the ban, ranging from tastings to discover and potentially purchase products, to events (markets, fairs, festivals, etc.) and receptions. Future results will show what instructions the inspection services will receive to apply this provision.

The sector has long advocated for self-regulation. Is this draft law, in your opinion, a sign of a definitive lack of trust from politicians toward the industry's voluntary commitments?

We note that, for our sector, the strength of self-regulation is insufficiently recognized today, and that is regrettable. Yet, the system proves its effectiveness: the Advertising Council and the participating companies take their responsibilities, react quickly, and often seek proactive advice.

Self-regulation is not characterized by an optional nature, but by a set of rules that evolve with the needs of society and are supported by the entire sector.

Do you still believe in dialogue with the political world?

Yes, we therefore continue to believe in the strength of an open and constructive dialogue with policymakers, but for a dialogue, there must be at least two. The goal must be to work together toward ambitious, but also targeted and effective measures in the fight against alcohol abuse, without unnecessary side effects for responsible actors.

There is, of course, always room for improvement. But this lies in targeted and proportionate measures as well as in collaboration with the sector, and not in general tightenings that make little distinction. An approach based on responsibility, nuance, and dialogue produces the best results in the long term, both for public health and for the economy.

If the new advertising slogan eventually sees the light of day because agreements were made on this subject in the government agreement, we then count on sufficient political courage to also ensure the loyal execution of commitments aimed at reducing cross-border purchases, as well as the fiscal burdens that are the primary cause of them.