In Brussels on Tuesday, 3 December, European health ministers adopted a recommendation that will help reduce people’s exposure to secondhand smoke and aerosols and bring about a tobacco-free generation in Europe by 2040, as envisaged in ‘Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan’.
Hungary’s State Secretary for Health Péter Takács reiterated that this recommendation was “nonbinding” on countries, which can choose the appropriate measures to take. “There is no [mandatory] ban”, he hammered home. In a statement (https://aeur.eu/f/els ), Italy and Romania criticised the measures set out in the recommendation. Greece abstained during the vote, calling for an impact assessment on outdoor smoking bans. Germany abstained, as it is necessary “to consider the principle of proportionality” (competence of the Länder). The Czech Republic submitted a statement (https://aeur.eu/f/elr ) that calls for caution as regards nicotine-free products.
The Council Recommendation on smoke- and aerosol-free environments encourages EU countries to expand the scope of their current protection from exposure to secondhand smoke to include key outdoor spaces such as playgrounds and restaurant terraces. The new measures will also apply to new tobacco products as well as related products (e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products) (see EUROPE 13484/14).
Since the last Council recommendation on no-smoking areas was adopted in 2009, a number of new tobacco products and related products have been developed (e-cigarettes, heated tobacco products, and herbal products).
The recommendation extends the provisions of the 2009 recommendation to aerosol-emitting products. EU countries will be encouraged to restrict use of these products in certain public spaces, on public transport, and in the workplace.
The new recommendation recognises the prevalence [of smoking] and the potential harmful effects of secondhand exposure to smoke and aerosols in outdoor areas (restaurant terraces, playgrounds, beaches, and public transport)—for children and young people in particular.
The Council of the EU recommends that EU countries expand protection from secondhand smoke and aerosols to a greater number of places.
The EU Council stresses the importance of combining the measures with intense work on the evaluation and review of Community legislation on tobacco. For that matter, France – notably like Belgium – has called for tobacco-related directives to be updated so as to include all emerging products, “which give rise to addiction and poor health in young people”.
European Commissioner for Health Olivér Várhelyi pointed out that every year, 700,000 people in the EU die as a result of smoking. The commissioner stated that there is a need to combat nicotine addiction and protect young people and children from the effects of new tobacco-derived products.
The European Commission is expected to report on the progress made in implementing this recommendation within five years of its adoption.
Link to the Council recommendation: https://aeur.eu/f/emg (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)