Beer plays major part in EU economy
At their sixth annual Beer Serves Europe event in November 2016, The Brewers of Europe presented two new publications, the 180-country study “Beer Connects Europe with the World” and the 2016 edition of “Beer Statistics”, highlight how beer is accompanying Europe’s economic recovery and flowing increasingly towards fast growing areas of the globe.
Total consumer spending on beer was over 110 billion EUR in the EU in 2014. The latest statistics confirm that the European brewing sector is now firmly on the path to prosperity. Consumption and production are not just stable, but improving with year-on-year rises in EU countries from 2014 to 2015 of 1 % in consumption and 1.4 % in production. Meanwhile beer is growing at the fastest rate among the top 10 food and drinks products in the EU by export value. There were 588 new microbreweries established in the year from 2014 to 2015, a rise of 13 %. The European brewing sector is a key actor for job creation and the economy. Beer adds the equivalent of the GDP of Luxembourg, or around 51 billion EUR, annually to EU output. The sector provides over 120000 direct jobs in the EU alone.
“The Brewers of Europe are proud of the major part they play in the European economy, generating considerable employment and boosting trade both within the EU and beyond. Supportive policies will enable brewers to continue contributing to the overall competitiveness of the European economy and sustained growth,” said Pavlos Photiades, President of The Brewers of Europe.
