The European Commission is preparing to present, on 3 February, its European plan against cancer, which places great emphasis on prevention. According to a draft document seen by EUROPE, the institution suggests, among other things, reviewing the taxation of tobacco and alcohol products and the rules surrounding the cross-border purchase of these products by private individuals.
The draft text points out that Europe currently accounts for a quarter of all cancer cases worldwide. According to the Commission, without decisive action, the proportion of the population currently affected will rise from 10% to 25% by 2035.
In response to the challenge, the Commission is proposing different angles of attack, including prevention, early detection, diagnosis and treatment, as well as quality of life for survivors. The most interesting chapter is the one related to prevention, where tobacco, alcohol and air pollution are in the EU’s sights.
On tobacco, the Commission has set itself the ambitious goal of achieving a smoke-free generation by 2040, at which time less than 5% of the population would be smoking. To this end, it suggests revising several European legislations, such as the Tobacco Products Directive (2014/40/EU) and the Tobacco Taxation Directive (2011/64/EU). “This includes working towards plain packaging and a full ban on flavours, using existing EU agencies to improve the assessment of ingredients, extending taxation to novel tobacco products, and tackling tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship, namely on the internet and social media”, notes the paper, which has yet to be approved by the full College of Commissioners. The draft text also suggests including emerging products (including e-cigarettes and heating tobacco products) in 2023 in the recommendation on smoke-free environments.
For alcohol, the document also suggests working towards mandatory labelling of the list of ingredients and calorie content.
Link to the project: http://bit.ly/3qZffu6 (Original version in French by Sophie Petitjean)