Setting the scene: Riga 2025

11.11.2025 - Twenty-five years is long enough to see patterns repeat and short enough to remember why we started. As we meet in Riga, we mark NordAN's 25th year with thanks to the people and organizations that have kept this work going across borders, languages, and changing political times. The anniversary isn't the main story, but it's a good reminder that staying committed matters, especially when policy is under pressure.

And policy is under pressure. That's the thread running through this year. Budgets are tight. Political priorities shift. Industry finds new ways to push back. War, economic worry, and rising mental health problems put extra weight on systems that are already stretched. In moments like these, it's tempting to lose sight of the bigger picture and go for quick fixes. Our purpose in Riga is to keep that bigger picture in view and to look honestly how to make our interventions more effective.

Riga is the right place for this. Latvia sits at the crossroads of the Nordic and Baltic region, and public debate here has grown sharper in recent years. Reconnecting with Latvian civil society is both overdue and welcome. It adds to the regional picture and reminds us that the Nordics and Baltics are more varied than we sometimes admit. We share many values, but our paths aren't the same.

In our sessions, we'll look at how alcohol and drug policy holds up when things aren't ideal. What happens to proven approaches when money is tight and attention is focused elsewhere? How does enforcement work when regulations are challenged? How do we protect people when marketing tells us that responsibility belongs only to individuals and everything else is someone else's problem? We'll also explore the connections between alcohol and mental health, the squeeze on prevention work, and what happens to evidence when politics gets louder than data.

Here's a small example of the gap we often face. Health ministers meet internationally and commit to reducing alcohol use by a certain amount by a certain date. These agreements matter. They set direction and raise the bar for what's considered acceptable. Then the health minister goes home to the next cabinet meeting, and another ministry suggests a package to cut red tape or "boost the economy." In that package, there might be a proposal to let young people handle alcohol from age 13, or to replace advertising rules with industry self-regulation (true stories). The gap is clear. What we agree to internationally and what actually drives policy at home are often two different things. Our challenge is to close that gap with arguments that work in real political situations.

That's why this conference is about identifying problems as much as highlighting what works. We know the building blocks: controls on availability, pricing and taxes, limits on marketing, treatment and support, prevention in communities and schools, and consistent enforcement. The question is what happens to these when things get tough. We'll look at cases where these approaches have survived pressure and cases where they haven't. Which arguments have worked? Which legal structures have held up? Where can civil society fill gaps that governments can't, and how can governments protect civil society so it can do that work?

Riga also means looking ahead. Many of the pressures we're facing won't go away soon. Budgets will stay tight. Commercial interests will keep pushing. Digital marketing will keep getting more complex. The idea that individuals alone should be responsible will remain attractive to many. A lasting response needs patience and clarity. Patience to build systems that last beyond one budget cycle. Clarity to say, simply, what the evidence shows and what it doesn't.

NordAN's job has always been to form a network of organisations who care about these issues and to create space for honest conversation. That doesn't mean we all agree. It means being realistic while keeping our direction clear. We hope to leave Riga with a better sense of what needs protecting, what needs changing, and where we need to push harder. The aim isn't to solve everything, but to learn from each other's real experiences - what's worked in your context and what hasn't.

Thank you for making the trip, for bringing your experience, and for trusting this network with your time. As you get ready to come to Riga, think about one policy or approach you've seen survive under pressure and one that's struggled. Bring both. We learn most when we share real lessons, not just hopes.