(Euractiv) - Representatives of Europe’s wine and spirits industries have joined with the Scotch Whisky Association in a legal battle aiming to halt the minimum pricing of alcohol.The Scottish Parliament overwhelmingly passed a bill in May that introduced a £0.50 (€0.63) minimum price for a unit of alcohol, the first legally-binding minimum price within the European Union. From as early as April 2013, cut-price alcoholic beverages will be outlawed in Scotland. The bill is intended to reduce binge drinking - and thus improve health and crime levels. The European Spirits Organisation (CEPS) and the Comité des Vins – representing Europe’s liqueur and wine producers respectively – attached themselves to an action in the Scottish Court of Sessions launched yesterday (19 July) by the Scotch Whisky Association to challenge the Scottish government.