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Buddhist Times News – Imran Khan invites Sri Lankan Buddhists to visit Pakistan

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Shyamal Sinha
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Buddhist Times News – Imran Khan invites Sri Lankan Buddhists to visit Pakistan

By  — Shyamal Sinha

Visiting Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has proclaimed his Muslim-majority nation a choice destination for religious tourism by Sri Lankans, most of whom are Buddhists.

Millions of people around the world embark annually on spiritual journeys to soothe their souls. Global religious tourism is one of the fastest growing segments in travel today. According to the UNWTO, 300-330 million tourists visit the globe’s most important religious sights every year.

Pakistan, with many important historical Buddhist sites, is noticeably trending in “religious tourism” due to its extensive heritage of Gandhara and Emperor Ashoka the Great.

Siddhartha Gautama, later revered as the Buddha, spread his teachings on the Indian subcontinent as long ago as 2600 years. Buddhism spread around Pakistan, Afghanistan, and India.  In what is today modern-day Pakistan and other areas, the famous Buddhist ruler Ashoka the Great (304 to 232 BCE) spread Buddhism and Buddhist monuments and art throughout the region. (Gandhara Civilization 1500 BCE to 515 CE.)

Although, Buddhists who live in Pakistan only amount to a few thousand, more and more Buddhist tourists arrive each year. The most popular country for Buddhist tourists from Japan, China, Korea, and Thailand are Buddhist sites in India.

In talks with President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Wednesday, Khan highlighted Buddhist heritage sites in Pakistan and stressed the building of cultural ties, the Pakistan Embassy said in a statement.

“Pakistan probably has one of the greatest Buddhist heritages in the world and we invite people from Sri Lanka to visit them,” Khan said a day earlier after meeting with Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Khan is making a two-day official visit to Sri Lanka which began Tuesday.

Buddhists account for more than 70% of Sri Lanka’s 22 million people. Ethnic minority Tamils, who are mainly Hindu, comprise about 15% and 9% are Muslims.

Khan said northern Pakistan is the center of the ancient Buddhist Gandhara civilization and that a 40-foot (12-meter) sleeping Buddha statue was recently discovered there.

Gandhāra was one of the so-called great regions (mahjanapada) of ancient India (a geographical concept that included many other parts of modern South Asia). Under the Mauryan empire (ca. 300–185 BCE), its capital was the city of Taxila. The center of ancient Gandhāra was the Peshawar basin in northwestern Pakistan which extends westward into Afghanistan along the Kabul River. This region exerted cultural and linguistic influence on what has been called “Greater Gandhāra” which encompasses the surrounding areas eastwards across the Indus River (such as Taxila), north towards the Swat Valley and Upper Indus, west towards Bamiyan and across the Hindu Kush into Bactria and the Oxus river valley.

The Indian emperor Ashoka (ca. 268–233 BCE) erected edicts in the region, some of which use the Gāndhārī language and the Kharosthi script later used by Gandhāran Buddhists. These edicts confirm the existence of Buddhism in Gandhāra during his reign. Kharosthi inscriptions have been found as far West as Wardak along the Kabul river, Uzbekistan (Termez) and Tajikistan (Anzhina-Tepe) and as far south as Mohenjo-Daro and Baluchistan

“We are planning a Buddhist trail … with all the Buddhist great shrines and Buddhist places,” he said.

Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa is the older brother of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

Pakistan may be the next big thing in Buddhist historical-site tourism, although for years it was held back by a bureaucratic visa system as well as the unstable security situation. With a renewed focus on Buddhist Tourism, this is changing, with a new streamlined visa process, the improved security situation, as well as the introduction of online visas.

This hidden potential for Pakistan, however, is extraordinary, since Buddhism one of the world’s largest spiritual paths, with over 520 million followers. Most Buddhists live in Asia and are relatively close in proximity to the country. Pakistan’s neighbour, China, has around 244 million Buddhist followers.

source – AP

WHO/Europe calls for action on post-COVID conditions/“long COVID”

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WHO/Europe calls for action on post-COVID conditions/“long COVID”

Press statement by Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe

25 February 2021

Good morning,

To date, close to 38 million cases of COVID-19 have been reported in the WHO European Region, as well as 850 000 deaths.

The SARS-CoV-2 virus continues to spread at very high rates across Europe, with 2 variants of concern continuing to displace other variants, increasing their reach and challenging us to continue to do more.

For the second consecutive week, fewer than 1 million new cases were reported as transmission continues to slow across the Region. The decrease in new cases in the past month is driven by countries that have implemented new measures to slow transmission.

New reported cases have declined by almost half since the end of 2020. However, to put that into perspective, the number of new cases in the Region now is 10 times higher than in May last year. And it is still the case that across the Region, most countries have very high or high levels of community transmission.

I know that many of you are eagerly awaiting a return to a new normal, where we are no longer restricted by measures limiting our freedom and the transmission of a deadly virus.

Others, a significant proportion of those who have survived COVID-19, are asking when and whether their health will be fully restored. These are the many thousands who are experiencing post-COVID conditions, also referred to as long COVID or post-COVID syndrome.

Today, we shed light on the fact that in some patients, the disability following SARS-CoV-2 infection lingers for months, with severe social, economic, health and occupational consequences.

The burden is real and it is significant: about 1 in 10 COVID-19 sufferers remains unwell after 12 weeks, and many for much longer.

As with any new disease, so much was and remains unknown. As the pandemic has evolved, professionals and patients alike have mapped a path in the dark through their experiences. Yet stories of those who should have recovered but whose lives were still affected by debilitating symptoms soon emerged.

Regrettably, some were met with disbelief or lack of understanding.

We need to listen and we need to understand. The sufferers of post-COVID conditions need to be heard if we are to understand the long-term consequences and recovery from COVID-19. It’s a clear priority for WHO, and of the utmost importance. It should be for every health authority.

We don’t have all the answers. We don’t yet know what percentage of patients have these longer-term effects. But we’re learning fast.

Earlier this month, WHO hosted a consultation on post COVID-19 conditions, focusing on recognition, research and rehabilitation. As we learn more, we need to make sure that patients who have had suspected or confirmed COVID-19 and who have persistent symptoms – new or changing – should have access to follow-up care. This is where primary health care has a particularly strong role to play.

Today we complement guidance we have published with a new resource for decision-makers on what we know about the condition and available responses and policies. Professor Martin McKee will shortly speak on this.

I am calling upon you, countries and institutions in the European Region, to come together as part of an integrated research agenda using harmonized data-collection tools and study protocols. This will be key to maximizing the impact of treatment and improving longer-term outcomes for patients.

As a next step, I will be convening the chief medical officers of all 53 countries in the European Region to set out a regional strategy to meet this goal.

A crucial part of this is listening to those who are experiencing post-COVID conditions. With us today, speaking from the United Kingdom, is Richard Roels, who had COVID-19 in March last year. Richard, thanks for joining us.

European Parliament Press Kit for the European Council of 25-26 February 2021 | News | European Parliament

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officialinstitutions
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European Parliament Press Kit for the European Council of 25-26 February 2021 | News | European Parliament

, https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20210222BKG98332/

EU Bishops address the President of the Parliament on the recent Resolution on abortion in Poland

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COMECE
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euparl voting
The European Parliament. (Credit: EP)

The Presidency of the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (COMECE) addresses a letter to David Sassoli, President of the European Parliament, with regard to the European Parliament Resolution of 26 November 2020 on abortion in Poland.

In their letter, the EU Bishops emphasize once again that the Catholic Church, which seeks to support women in life situations arising from difficult or unwanted pregnancies, calls for the protection and care of all unborn life.

“From a legal perspective – the Bishops underline – neither European Union legislation nor the European Convention on Human Rights provide for a right to abortion. This matter is left up to the legal systems of the Member States”.

A fundamental principle of the European Union is the principle of conferral, under which the Union shall act only within the limits of the competences conferred upon it by the Member States  in the Treaties. “Strict observance of this principle is – reads the letter – a requirement of the rule of law, one of the fundamental values of the Union”.

While endorsing the Parliament’s Resolution emphasis on the respect for the rule of law, COMECE stresses that “the rule of law also requires respect for the competences of the Member States and the choices made by them in the exercise of their exclusive competences”.

In their letter, the Bishops of the EU also express concern on the questioning by the EP Resolution of the fundamental right to conscientious objection, which is an emanation of freedom of conscience. “This is particularly worrying – the letter continues – considering that in the healthcare sector conscientious objectors are in many cases subject to discrimination”.

Download

Letter in EN, FR, DE, IT

New WHO expert group to identify gaps and solutions to the mental health impacts of COVID-19

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WHO/Europe calls for action on post-COVID conditions/“long COVID”

“At the beginning of the pandemic, I struggled a lot. I had to start taking antidepressants. I didn’t see anyone because I was scared, even if I was only going to the supermarket … I started seeing people again slowly but it is still hard sometimes because I feel as if I am locked between four walls and cannot go anywhere. And that causes me a lot of anxiety. Having my friends close by helps me cope.”

This experience, voiced by a 26-year-old living in Belgium, was just one of many perspectives which mental health experts brought to the table for the first meeting of the WHO Technical Advisory Group on the mental health impacts of COVID-19 in the WHO European Region. The participants, drawn from across the Region, represent scientific experts in the field of COVID-19 and mental health, service providers and managers on the front line, mental health service users, family advocates, and COVID-19 survivors.

The group, tasked with reviewing evidence, identifying gaps and exploring solutions, will inform and support countries’ efforts in addressing mental health needs within and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mental health conditions exacerbated by the pandemic

Mental health conditions, one of the leading causes of suffering and disability in the European Region, have burgeoned during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Everyone’s mental health has been affected in some way, whether as a result of the worry about becoming infected, or the stress brought about by measures such as lockdown, self-isolation and quarantine, or linked with foregone employment, income, education or social participation.

At the level of the overall population, a clear increase in levels of anxiety and stress has been observed, with several surveys showing that around a third of adults is reporting levels of distress. Among younger people, that figure goes up to as much as 1 in every 2 people.

Specific groups in the population that have been put at particular risk as a result of impeded access to mental health services, diminished social connectedness or restricted economic activity include migrant and refugee populations, people experiencing homelessness, children and adolescents out of school, newly unemployed workers, older adults confined to their place of residence, as well as people with pre-existing mental health conditions and psychosocial, cognitive or intellectual disabilities.

As the pandemic continues, health and social care workers’ prolonged exposure to extremely stressful and potentially traumatic situations renders them particularly vulnerable to experiencing reduced mental and physical well-being and burnout.

Identifying needs and strengthening mental health services

Over the coming months, the Technical Advisory Group will review and synthesize available evidence from the population level, the policy and service level as well as the individual level, and highlight emergent needs and implications for the development of mental health services in the WHO European Region.

The Group’s recommendations will feed into a mental health framework for action, which is to be presented to the WHO Regional Committee for Europe – WHO’s decision-making body in the Region – in September 2021.

European Programme of Work

Mental health was already identified as a key priority for WHO’s Regional Office for Europe, through the European Programme of Work, 2020–2025 “United Action for Better Health”. This strategic workplan was unanimously endorsed by WHO Member States in 2020, and it is the ambition of WHO/Europe to use the lessons of the past year to develop innovative and sustainable solutions to long-standing problems faced by mental health services and systems.

Additionally, the launch of a mental health coalition later in 2021 will bring together countries of the European Region, as well as service users, providers and innovators, to mobilize investment in mental health and advocate for the reforms that are needed.

COVID restrictions on religion: I’m still attending mass from my church parking lot.

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COVID restrictions on religion: I'm still attending mass from my church parking lot.

I’m not just missing the smells and bells, the stained glass and the statues. I’m missing the people.

Tim Busch
 |  Opinion contributor

I never thought I’d watch Mass from the front seat of my car. I never thought I’d receive Holy Communion standing in the parish parking lot. But there I’ve been, Sunday after Sunday for months on end, in the parking lot at St. Kilian Catholic Church in Mission Viejo, California.

From the start, I knew it wasn’t the same. Sure, the priest was still there, on a purpose-built podium. He was saying the same words, praying the same prayers and chanting the same notes, just over a loudspeaker system. The Scripture readings were the same and — most important — Jesus Christ was as present and powerful as ever in the Eucharist. But something was missing. Something crucial.

At first I thought it was the smells and bells — the incense and the organ. Then I figured it was the beauty of the sanctuary — the stained glass, the statues, the painted ceiling that draws the eye heavenward. It took a while before the real answer hit me. The people were missing.

Separation and social distancing

When you’re in the pews, surrounded by parishioners, the faith comes to life. You see multiple generations, sometimes three or four, standing and singing together. The sound of crying children reminds you of the never-ending need to pass on the faith. Even in older or smaller parishes, the sense of shared mission and meaning surrounds you.

But it wasn’t there in the church parking lot. Not only were faces covered by tinted windows, there weren’t nearly as many people as there would be in the pews. There were almost no families, no children. The kids couldn’t last an hour cooped up in the car. In other states, where limited indoor masses are allowed, there was — and still is — the same lack of family life. When families show up, they get glares and looks of fear — the folks around them seem to think that if the kids get close, they’ll get sick.

The vibrant feeling of unity has faded. In its place, there has been a sense of separation that extends much farther than the 6 feet of social distancing.

Coronavirus pademic: Churches are essential. If protesters can assemble, so should people of faith.

I’m not alone in feeling this way. I hear similar stories from colleagues, friends, priests and bishops across the country. The priests and bishops aren’t to blame — far from it. They’ve been forced to deal with confusing and sometimes conflicting state mandates, all during an utterly abysmal situation. Some have outdoor services, some have limited indoor attendance while others have retreated to online only. But they all agree things just aren’t the same.

More concerning, they’re worried the faith itself will never be the same, along with American religion as a whole.

Faith without the faithful

The past year has seen a mass migration away from religion. According to a July survey, nearly a third of Christians had stopped attending their regular church and were not streaming a different church service online other than their own. At a time when services were largely streamed, the researchers state, “We can, for the most part, confidently interpret this group as those who have dropped out of church for the time being.”

By my rough estimate, attendance at my usual Mass has been down by 80%. Some priests across the country have told me their parishes have faced even steeper declines.

America was becoming less religious before the pandemic, but the trends of the past year are anything but natural. They’re the direct result of state-ordered shutdowns and one-size-fits-all restrictions on religious worship. Faith isn’t fading. It’s being driven away.

Mississippi pastor: My church was burned down because we want to worship in person

It’s tough to overstate the harm that has been done. The habits of faith that had been built over years and the communities and rituals often needed to sustain it were banned and broken in a matter of days. In the name of saving lives, authorities broke up the communities and congregations that made life worth living for tens of millions of people. I doubt that the political figures behind these policies wanted to weaken faith, but they have. They couldn’t have done more damage if they tried.

Some politicians have rethought their positions, and in some cases, the federal courts have intervened. This month, the Supreme Court struck down California’s ban on indoor services, so the parking lot is finally out. But heavy restrictions are still in place: Depending on where you live in the state, churches are limited to as little as 25% capacity. The message to worshippers is still one of “stay away.”

And so the damage will continue. Once lost, the habits of faith are tough to rebuild. Once pushed away, people may stay away, forever. The adults have found new ways to fill the time. The kids’ attention has been turned elsewhere in their most formative years. The country might go back to normal, but for religion, the road will be much longer.

But we can still keep it from becoming longer still. With the vaccine rollout underway and greater public awareness of who’s vulnerable and who’s not, religion should be freed from pandemic restrictions. The sooner the churches are allowed to fully open, the more likely it is people will come back, and the less likely it is that religion in America will be irreparably harmed.

I’m glad the parking lot Mass is over. Now the real, vibrant, joyful Mass must be restored.

Tim Busch is the founder of the Napa Institute, a Catholic lay organization.

Bulgaria’s Prime Minister to Take Part in Video Conference of European Council

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Bulgaria’s Prime Minister to Take Part in Video Conference of European Council

 On Thursday and Friday, Prime Minister Boyko Borissov is participating in a video conference of the members of the European Council, the government press office announced.

The main topics on the agenda will be the current situation with the COVID-19 pandemic, the Member States’ preparedness to respond to public health challenges, security and defence of the European Union, as well as relations with the Southern Neighbourhood.

At the start of the meeting, the leaders of EU countries will review the epidemic situation and discuss the coordination of actions in response to the pandemic. The members of the European Council will focus on the process of authorisation, production and distribution of vaccines, as well as on the movement of people between different countries.

The video conference will discuss the follow-up to the Commission’s European Health Union package and possible steps, such as approving EU instruments for preparedness, early prevention, crisis management and response, supporting research and innovation for the production of vaccines and medical supplies of vital importance.

On the second day of their meeting, EU leaders will examine European security and defence policy. They will focus on strengthening the EU’s security and defence policy, on opportunities to increase the Union’s ability to act independently, and developing security and defence partnership, in particular with NATO, the government press service added.

The European Council will conclude the video conference with a strategic discussion of the EU’s relations with the Southern Neighbourhood countries, the report says.

Spain moves towards a more resilient health coverage policy during COVID-19

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Spain moves towards a more resilient health coverage policy during COVID-19

The Government of Spain is introducing new exemptions from co-payments (user charges) for outpatient prescriptions – a reform expected to benefit around 6 million people. From 1 January this year, low-income pensioners, moderately and severely disabled children, and households receiving child benefits no longer have to pay out of pocket for prescribed medicines.

The Government has also allocated €49 million to be spent on expanding dental care coverage. Both changes aim to reduce inequalities in access and strengthen financial protection, in line with WHO recommendations on how countries can make progress towards universal health coverage.

Reforms target key gaps in health coverage

Under Spain’s national health system, almost all covered services are free at the point of use. Outpatient medicines are a key exception. Children and adults are required to pay co-payments of up to around €4 per medicine prescribed for most chronic conditions and, for all other prescribed medicines, co-payments ranging from 10% to 60% of the price (depending on household income and pension status). Mechanisms to protect people have been limited, especially for low-income people of working age.

Although there are no co-payments for covered dental services, the range of dental services in the publicly financed benefits package is very narrow – mainly preventive services for children and pregnant women, extractions, and emergency interventions.

This means that almost all dental care is paid for out of pocket, leading to financial hardship for some households and causing others to forego dental care altogether. The share of the population reporting unmet need for dental care due to cost, distance or waiting time is higher in Spain than the European Union average, and is marked by substantial income inequality.

The legacy of austerity

Spain was hit hard by the financial and economic crisis that began in 2008. Policy changes to health coverage introduced in 2012, in the context of the European Stability Mechanism, created access barriers for many people. The linking of entitlement to publicly financed health care to payment of social security contributions, for example, restricted access for undocumented migrants and people working in the informal economy. The introduction of co-payments for outpatient prescriptions for pensioners, and an increase in these co-payments for children and employed adults, also increased financial pressure on certain groups.

The 2012 reforms kept important protective mechanisms in place – notably, exemptions from co-payments for some social beneficiaries and reduced co-payments for a wide range of medicines for chronic conditions. They also introduced new protections, such as an annual income-related cap on co-payments for pensioners and exemptions for unemployed people who are no longer entitled to unemployment benefits.

In spite of these carefully considered safeguards, however, the 2012 reforms increased access barriers, particularly for people in vulnerable situations. In the most recent Barómetro Sanitario, an annual survey of citizen perceptions of the Spanish health system, 3% of the population reported not being able to access prescribed medicines for financial reasons.

Building back better

In 2018, the universality of Spain’s health system was restored, granting “the right to health protection and health care, under the same conditions, to all people who are in Spain”. In 2020, exemptions from co-payments for outpatient prescriptions were extended to beneficiaries of a new guaranteed minimum income scheme. Spain is also trying to remove administrative barriers to access that undocumented migrants and other disadvantaged groups of people still face.

Taken together, these changes do not just aim to return to the pre-2012 situation – they are likely to move Spain several steps forward on the path to universal health coverage.

COVID-19 increases the need to tackle inequalities

These types of protective measures are particularly important in the context of COVID-19. The health, social and economic consequences of the pandemic disproportionately affect disadvantaged households. Learning from the experience of the 2008 financial and economic crisis, responses to the pandemic must involve urgent action to mitigate already-sharp increases in inequality.

Spain’s reforms are taking place in spite of the fiscal constraints posed by COVID-19. By taking steps to establish a resilient coverage policy – one that ensures people do not lose health coverage when their living standards or health decline and that entitles them to enhanced protection when they are in vulnerable situations – Spain sets an example for the rest of Europe to follow.

New WHO analysis of financial protection in Spain out soon

The WHO Barcelona Office for Health Systems Financing is working with a team of Spanish experts to assess the extent to which people living in Spain experience financial hardship when they use health services, including medicines. Underpinned by the European Programme of Work, which holds universal health coverage as one of its 3 priorities, this new analysis will help to identify the health services most likely to lead to financial hardship, the people most likely to be affected and the root causes of gaps in coverage.

New policy brief calls on decision-makers to support patients as 1 in 10 report symptoms of “long COVID”

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New policy brief calls on decision-makers to support patients as 1 in 10 report symptoms of “long COVID”

Some 1 in 10 people still experience persistent ill health 12 weeks after having COVID-19, termed “long COVID” or post-COVID conditions. A new policy brief from the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies documents responses to post-COVID conditions in different countries of the WHO European Region and looks at how sufferers, including medical professionals, are driving some of those responses.

Written for decision-makers, this brief summarizes what is known about the conditions, who and how many people suffer from them, diagnosis and treatment, and how countries are addressing the issue.

Commenting on long COVID, WHO Regional Director for Europe Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge said, “COVID-19 has caused a great deal of suffering among people across the Region, with reports of long COVID an extra cause for concern. It’s important that patients reporting with symptoms of long COVID are included as part of the COVID-19 response to mitigate some of the longer-term health impacts of the pandemic. This policy brief makes clear the need for policy-makers to take the lead on this issue.”

Accessing care

People suffering with post-COVID conditions have reported feeling stigmatized as well as unable to access and navigate services. They have struggled to have their cases taken seriously and get a diagnosis, received disjointed and siloed care, and found specialist care to be mostly inaccessible and variable across countries. There are also real problems with access to sickness and disability benefits.

Patient associations and people experiencing long COVID are calling for recognition of the wide range of impacts – whether medical, psychological or social – and for greater awareness of the condition among all health professionals. The growing presence of online patient communities, including health workers, is highlighting their important role in generating and exchanging knowledge, providing support to one another, and advocating for appropriate care.

Recognition of post-COVID conditions

Long COVID is not yet fully understood, but a considerable number of people are reporting ongoing symptoms at 12 weeks.

Known manifestations of post-COVID conditions include a range of troubling physical symptoms, such as severe fatigue and increased risk of damage to the heart, lungs and brain. Available data indicate that about a quarter of those with COVID-19 suffer from symptoms 4–5 weeks after testing positive, and about 1 in 10 experience symptoms after 12 weeks.

All of this can seriously impact people’s ability to work and enjoy a good quality of life. While research on post-COVID conditions continues apace, much has already been learned that can inform current health policy responses.

Policy implications

The new policy brief highlights areas where policy-makers can take action to meet the challenge of post-COVID conditions based on what is currently known, including by:

  • taking multidisciplinary, multispecialty approaches to assessment and management;
  • developing new care pathways and contextually appropriate guidelines with patients and their families, so that primary care in particular can tailor case management to the manifestations of disease;
  • creating appropriate services, including rehabilitation and online support tools;
  • tackling the wider consequences of post-COVID conditions, including by addressing employment rights, sick pay policies, and access to disability benefits;
  • involving patients to foster self-care and self-help, and to shape awareness of post-COVID conditions and their implications for services and research; and
  • implementing patient registers and other surveillance systems and following up with patients to support the research that is so critical to understanding and treating post-COVID conditions.

Looking ahead

The policy brief stresses the need for coordinated, multidisciplinary, national and international studies to understand the clinical impact of post-COVID conditions. Moreover, it recognizes that this research should be co-created with patients and care providers.

Reaffirming this, the lead author of the policy brief Dr Selina Rajan said, “Long COVID has demonstrated the importance of involving patients in research. However, much remains to be understood about the long-term, multisystem consequences of COVID-19 infections in children and adults, and the interventions required to treat them.”

This is a rapidly changing field where much can be learned from various initiatives being undertaken across Europe. The brief sets out policy options for developing robust and inclusive responses and provides a valuable resource for decision-makers.

Trade wars slash Kentucky bourbon exports by 35%, exports to European Union plunge almost 50%

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Trade wars slash Kentucky bourbon exports by 35%, exports to European Union plunge almost 50%

Tariffs imposed on U.S. spirits as a result of unrelated trade disputes slashed exports of Kentucky Bourbon by 35% in 2020, with shipments to the European Union tumbling by nearly 50%, the Kentucky Distillers’ Association announced Tuesday.

The situation could deteriorate further in June, when the EU expects to double tariffs on American Whiskey to 50%, KDA President Eric Gregory said. The EU had traditionally been Kentucky’s largest global market for Bourbon and whiskey, making up 56% of all exports in 2017. It’s now about 40%.

“Our signature Bourbon industry has sustained significant damage for more than two years because of a trade war that has nothing to do with whiskey,” Gregory said. “And it will get much worse if we can’t deescalate this dispute.

“We are officially asking President Biden and his administration to work with their counterparts overseas, suspend tariffs and settle these ongoing trade disputes before more long-term damage is done. A speedy resolution is in the best interest of our country and our Commonwealth.”

Congressman John Yarmuth (KY-03), Founder and Co-Chair of the bipartisan Congressional Bourbon Caucus, led efforts among members of Congress calling on the previous administration to work to end the dispute and provide certainty to Kentucky’s distilled spirits industry.

Yarmuth and his colleagues, including Bourbon Caucus Co-Chair Andy Barr (KY-06), have already begun working on a letter to incoming Biden administration trade officials reiterating the importance of resolving the dispute that they plan to send upon confirmation of U.S. Trade Representative nominee Katherine Tai.

“This is about standing up for an industry that’s vital to our Commonwealth and promoting American spirits around the world. The production, distribution, and consumption of Bourbon creates and supports thousands of good jobs in my district alone and is a key driver of our local economy,” Rep. Yarmuth said.

“Without change the Bourbon industry faces serious headwinds, so you can be sure that I will be doing all I can to work with the new Biden-Harris Administration to deescalate this unnecessary and unwanted trade dispute and bring stability to the U.S. distilled spirits export market.”

Congressman Andy Barr said, “As Co-Chair of the Bourbon Caucus, I will continue to push for the elimination of tariffs that hurt Bourbon exports and profits in Kentucky. When the United States had a shortage of hand sanitizer, Bourbon distillers stepped up on short notice to meet the demand and help save lives. Now, we need to step up and work with world leaders to support this great Kentucky and American industry to put an end to these disastrous tariffs once and for all.”

Kentucky Bourbon has been one of the world’s greatest success stories for free and fair trade, growing exports by a staggering 98% between 2010 and 2017. In that time, KDA distilleries invested billions of dollars in capital improvements to meet the growing global thirst for America’s only native spirit.

That all changed in 2018 when the U.S. imposed a 25% tariff on steel and aluminum from the EU. The EU imposed a 25% tariff on American Whiskey and other goods in response, which now has escalated into tit-for-tat tariffs on Scotch, Irish Whiskey, rum, brandy, vodka, Cognac, cordials, liqueurs and other spirits.

The damage to Kentucky Bourbon has been devastating, with export values dropping by double digits since the tariffs took effect. Figures provided by the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development show:

• Total exports of Kentucky Bourbon and other whiskies were valued at $455 million in 2018. That number plunged to $319 million in 2020, a 35% decrease.

• Export values to the EU have nosedived 48% since the tariffs took effect, from $257 million in 2018 to $135 million last year.

• The United Kingdom had historically been the largest market within the EU for Kentucky whiskey, making up a quarter to a third of exports. Sales have plummeted from $67 million in 2018 to just $33 million last year, a 50% drop. The largest EU export country now is Spain at $49 million.

Distilleries in 36 states exported whiskey in 2020, with Kentucky ranking second behind Tennessee. Total American Whiskey exports reported a similar downturn, declining 29% from 2018 to 2020. U.S. whiskey exports to the EU fell sharply 37% in that time and sank 53% to the U.K.

Kentucky Bourbon is one of the Commonwealth’s most historic and treasured industries, an $8.6 billion economic engine that generates more than 20,100 jobs with an annual payroll topping $1 billion each year and attracts visitors from around the world to its fabled Kentucky Bourbon Trail® tourism experiences.

“This non-stop trade war has harmed Kentucky consumers, farm families, cooperages, glass and other suppliers, and our historic, homegrown distilling industry,” Gregory said. “We are hopeful that leaders around the globe will jumpstart negotiations and bring these trade wars to an end before things get worse.

“We’ll be glad to provide the Bourbon if it helps.”

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