The alcoholic beverage industry in Europe is the source of a quarter of the world’s

alcohol Alcohol most commonly refers to: * Alcohol (chemistry), an organic compound in which a hydroxyl group is bound to a carbon atom * Alcohol (drug), an intoxicant found in alcoholic drinks Alcohol may also refer to: Chemicals * Ethanol, one of sev ...

and over half of the world's

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are m ...

production. Trade is even more centered on

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

, with 70% of alcohol exports and just under half of the world's imports involving the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...

(EU). Although the majority of this trade is between EU countries, the trade in alcohol contributes around 9 billion

euros The euro (symbol: €; code: EUR) is the official currency of 19 out of the member states of the European Union (EU). This group of states is known as the eurozone or, officially, the euro area, and includes about 340 million citizens . T ...

to the goods account balance for the EU as a whole. At least 1 in 6 tourists returns from trips abroad with

alcoholic drinks An alcoholic beverage (also called an alcoholic drink, adult beverage, or a drink) is a drink that contains ethanol, a type of alcohol that acts as a drug and is produced by fermentation of grains, fruits, or other sources of sugar. The cons ...

, carrying an average of over 2 liters of pure alcohol per person in several countries. Europe also has a problem with illegal transport of alcohol; the European High Level Group on Fraud estimated that 1.5 billion euros were lost to alcohol fraud in 1996.Finfacts, Team. "Alcohol Taxation." FinFacts. 2007. FinFacts. 25 Apr. 2008 . Alcohol

excise duties file:Lincoln Beer Stamp 1871.JPG, upright=1.2, 1871 U.S. Revenue stamp for 1/6 barrel of beer. Brewers would receive the stamp sheets, cut them into individual stamps, cancel them, and paste them over the Bunghole, bung of the beer barrel so when ...

in the EU countries amounted to 25 billion euros in 2001, excluding sales taxes and other taxes paid within the supply chain – although 1.5 billion euros is given back to the supply chain through the

Common Agricultural Policy The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is the agricultural policy of the European Union. It implements a system of agricultural subsidies and other programmes. It was introduced in 1962 and has since then undergone several changes to reduce the ...

. Alcohol is also associated with a number of jobs, including over 750,000 jobs in alcoholic beverage (mainly wine) production. Further jobs are also related to alcohol elsewhere in the supply chain, e.g. in pubs or shops.Holm, Pasi. "Alcohol Policy Harmonization." Vatt-Discussion Papers. 1995. Government Institution for Economic Research. 25 Apr. 2008 .

References

Alcoholic drink companies Economy of Europe Alcohol in Europe European cuisine