Brussels, 17/06/2011 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 16 June, the European Commission launched a pan-European anti-smoking campaign targeting young people of 25-34 years old, based on the benefits of giving up smoking. Entitled Ex-smokers are unstoppable, the campaign asks former smokers to testify to the advantages of stopping smoking, mainly in terms of health and also on their finances, and offer advice to smokers who want to quit. “Young people start smoking because they think it's cool. Then they carry on smoking because smoking has become an addiction; and around 650,000 people die every year in the European Union due to smoking, because tobacco is highly toxic”, said Commissioner for Health and Consumers John Dalli. He went on to state that the public authorities have a part to play in helping people to break the cycle of addiction. “I'm convinced that the campaign will help smokers to understand that they have a lot to gain from stopping smoking”, the commissioner concluded. The campaign will use the latest technology to get its message across and give help directly to smokers interested in quitting, with the creation of a digital platform “iCoach”, which is freely accessible in all official languages of the EU, and which gives practical advice. The Commission has been mounting anti-smoking campaigns since 2002. This is the third of its kind, the first aimed generally at all smokers, the second specifically targeting young people. (I.L./transl.fl)