[ Full press release ] 

• European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Policy unveils a panel with a full cover picture warning on tobacco packaging at photo exhibition
• World No Tobacco Day 2010 focus on marketing to women emphasises the need for stronger tobacco labelling rules
• Tobacco control community across Europe joins voices in call for stronger EU tobacco policy
  

Photo opportunity: A giant, walking cigarette pack will attend the conference. It will meet the MEPs that signed the Tobacco Free Europe Pledge after the conference, at approx. 18.20 in Room ASP A3E-2, European Parliament. The European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Policy, John Dalli, will unveil a panel displaying a full cover pictorial warning at approx. 18:45, at the exhibition space located on the third floor of the European Parliament’s Altiero Spinelli Building, across from the mail boxes.

31 MAY 2010 | European Parliament, Brussels – Strong warnings of the dangers of smoking with images of diseased organs should be introduced across the EU to all tobacco packaging as soon as possible, urged the Smoke Free Partnership (SFP) at a conference today. On World No Tobacco Day the SFP also called for standardised packaging of tobacco products by 2012 – removing all logos and colours, along with uniform lettering – so that the pack can no longer be used as a form of advertising to attract new young smokers.

The focus of this year’s World No Tobacco Day is on marketing to women among whom smoking rates are increasing. Marketing literature routinely highlights the critical role played by pack design in marketing, emphasizing that the “product package is the communication life-blood of the firm”, the “silent salesman” that reaches out to customers. 

During the event, John Dalli, the European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Policy unveiled a panel illustrating a pictorial warning covering 80% of the front and back of a standardised cigarette pack. The panel was designed by the EU tobacco control community and displayed at at the latest display of “The Power of Communications against Tobacco” exhibition, hosted by Frederique Ries MEP and organised by the European Cancer Leagues and Pfizer to mark World No Tobacco Day.

At the conference in the European Parliament, an international panel of experts explained the importance of preventing the tobacco industry from marketing to young people. A 15 year old Scottish girl launched The Plain Truth Campaign.

Tobacco kills more than five million people every year. It is the only legal consumer product that kills half of all long-term users when used exactly as intended by the manufacturer. Effective health warnings, especially those that include pictures, have been shown to motivate users to quit and to reduce the appeal of tobacco for those who are not yet addicted. Yet, in the European Union, only 6 out of the 27 EU countries have introduced warnings with pictures on tobacco packs. France recently became the sixth EU country to announce that it will require pictorial warnings from 2012, joining Belgium (2006), Romania (2008), UK (2008), Latvia (2010) and Malta (2011). Worldwide, at least 38 jurisdictions require such warnings.

Last month, Australia set out plans for new rules forcing tobacco companies to use standardised packaging with picture health warnings. This will mean that from July 2012, manufacturers would be required to remove all colour and branding logos from cigarette packets. All tobacco products will be sold in a standard colour and style, and carry government health warnings.

“The tobacco industry uses multi-million dollar promotional campaigns, including carefully crafted package designs, to trap new users, especially young women. The tobacco pack is a ’silent salesman‘ carefully designed with a particular customer in mind; for instance, cigarettes packets for women are often packaged in slim, long packs, often with pastel or toned down colours, to meet perceived desires to appear feminine and sophisticated.

The review of the Tobacco Products Directive, currently underway, constitutes a major opportunity to introduce mandatory graphic warnings and standardised packaging in the European Union (and beyond); the Australian success is a huge boost to the campaign we have started and we hope that EU decision makers will seize this opportunity to follow the Australian example." said Florence Berteletti Kemp, Director of the Smoke Free Partnership.

“Today's "World No Tobacco Day" is a good opportunity to remind Europeans of what tobacco consumption means for their health and for their lives. It means sickness, suffering and premature death. I believe the time has come to strenghten our efforts to fight tobacco and its consequences on people's health. With this in mind, the Commission will soon launch a public consultation on the possible revision of the Tobacco Products Directive” said John Dalli, EU Commissioner for Health and Consummer Policy.

“Consumers of tobacco products have a right to know about the dangerous health consequences of tobacco use. Requiring tobacco companies to place warnings on packages is fair, just and legal. represents a major opportunity to introduce in the European Union  mandatory pictorial warnings combined with standardized packaging. This measure would enable consumers to make a fully informed choice. I call upon my colleagues in the European Parliament to support this measure during the review of the 2001 Tobacco Product Directive” said Frieda Breopels, MEP.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

For media enquiries, please contact Florence Berteletti Kemp, on +32 2 238 53 63 or 0496 12 43 02, florence.berteletti@ersnet.org

If you would like more information, please note that the following experts will be available for interviews all day on Monday the 31st May:

• Rob Cunningham at the above number or on his direct mobile phone:+00 1-613-7624624
• Professor Gerard Hastings on his direct mobile phone: +0044 7889 788932
  

The conference is intended to provide an opportunity to acknowledge MEPs that are signatories to the Tobacco Free Europe campaign, to mark the fifth anniversary of the entry into force of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control to which the EU and all but one Member State are signatories, and to celebrate The Year of The Lung. Finally, with a new European Parliament and Commission in place and tobacco legislation now in preparation, we would like to take this opportunity to reflect on the future of tobacco control at European level.

Conference “World No Tobacco Day 2010: Setting the EU tobacco control agenda and celebrating the Pledge”

Date: 31 May 2010
Time: 16.30 - 18.30 [Conference] | 18.30 onwards [Exhibition]
Room: ASP A3E-2, European Parliament, Brussels

Event hosted by:

Frieda Brepoels MEP
Ryszard Czarnecki MEP
Linda McAvan MEP

Event Speakers and Panelists:

• John Dalli, European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Policy
• Florence Berteletti Kemp, Director - Smoke Free Partnership
• Dr. Nedret Emiroglu,  WHO EURO Director of Division
• Rob Cunningham, International expert on tobacco health warnings - Canadian Cancer Society
• Fiona Godfrey, Regional and Legal Advisor, Europe - International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease
• Prof. Gerard Hastings, Director - Institute for Social Marketing (UK)
• Andrew Hayes, Past President - European Public Health Alliance
• Luk Joossens, Advocacy Officer - Association of European Cancer Leagues
• Nicola McFadyen, Youth Advocate, W-West (Why Waste Everything Smoking Tobacco)
• Dr. Karine Gallopel Morvan, Associate Professor in Social Marketing - Graduate School of Business Administration, University of Rennes 1
• Prof. Nikos Siafakas, President - European Respiratory Society
• Natasha Toropova, Advocacy Coordinator in Ukraine - Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids
• Susanne Løgstrup, Director of the European Heart Network

The Smoke Free Partnership (SFP) is strategic, independent and flexible and aims to promote tobacco control advocacy and policy research at EU and national levels in collaboration with other EU health organisations and EU tobacco control networks. (49-51 rue de Tréves, 1040 Brussels; www.smokefreepartnership.eu)

The FCTC is the world’s first international public health treaty. It recognises the harm that tobacco products can cause. The Treaty sets out legally binding objectives and principles that Parties who ratified, and thus agreed to implement, the Treaty must follow, including measures to protect public health policies from the vested interests of tobacco industry.

All EU Member States, with the exception of the Czech Republic, have signed and ratified the FCTC so the principles of the Treaty must be reflected in their national legislation and polices. The European Union, represented by the European Commission, is also a Party to the FCTC.

Exhibition “The Power of Communications against Tobacco”

Date: 31 May 2010
Time: 18.30
Location: Altiero Spinelli Building, 3rd floor, European Parliament, Brussels
Event hosted by Frédérique Ries, MEP

Event Speakers and Panelists:

• John Dalli, European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Policy

“The Power of Communications against Tobacco”, a photo exhibition of pictorial warnings on tobacco products in Europe and across the world, is organised by the Association of European Cancer Leagues (ECL) and Pfizer to mark World No Tobacco Day 2010 and to support the Tobacco Free Europe Campaign. The exhibition displays pictorial warnings in use in several countries around the world, including Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, European Union, Romania, Singapore, Thailand, Uruguay. The exhibition was first launched in 2007 by several organisations and has since travelled in over 10 countries in Europe and beyond.

The exhibition will follow the high-level conference “World No Tobacco Day 2010: Setting the EU tobacco control agenda and celebrating the Pledge” organised by the European Smoke Free Partnership to mark one year of the Tobacco Free Europe Campaign.

During the photo exhibition, the tobacco control community will also display its vision for pictorial warnings on tobacco products.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION SEE:

The Plain Truth Campaign:
http://www.w-west.org.uk/the-plain-truth.html

World No Tobacco Day 2010 "Gender and tobacco with an emphasis on marketing to women"
http://www.euro.who.int/tobaccofree/Projects/20100203_1

World No Tobacco Day 2009
http://www.euro.who.int/tobaccofree/20090428_2

Showing the truth, saving lives: The case for pictorial health warnings
http://www.who.int/tobacco/resources/publications/wntd/2009/materials/brochure/en/index.html

World Health Organisation health warnings database
http://www.who.int/tobacco/healthwarningsdatabase/en/index.html

Cigarette Package Warning Size and Use of Pictures: International Summary

Rob Cunningham,
Canadian Cancer Society
May 25, 2010

Picture warnings

At least 38 countries/jurisdictions have finalized requirements for picture warnings.  The listing below includes the year of implementation, including different years where there have been two or more rounds of picture warnings.

1.    Canada (2001)
2.    Brazil (2002; 2004; 2009)
3.    Singapore (2004; 2006)
4.    Thailand (2005; 2007; 2010)
5.    Venezuela (2005; 2009)
6.    Jordan (2006)
7.    Australia (2006;  rotation of Sets A, B every 12 months)
8.    Uruguay (2006; 2008; 2009a; 2009b; 2010)
9.    Panama (2006; 2009)
10.    Belgium (2006)
11.    Chile (2006; 2007; 2008; 2009)
12.    Hong Kong (2007)
13.    New Zealand (2008; rotation of Sets A, B every 12 months)
14.    Romania (2008)
15.    United Kingdom (2008)
16.    Egypt (2008)
17.    Brunei (2008)
18.    Cook Islands (2008)1
19.    Iran (2009)
20.    Malaysia (2009)
21.    Taiwan (2009)
22.    Peru (2009)
23.    Djibouti (2009)
24.    Mauritius (2009)
25.    India (2009, 2010)
26.    Cayman Islands (2009)
27.    Paraguay (2010; 2011; 2012)2
28.    Latvia (2010)
29.    Pakistan (2010)
30.    Switzerland (2010; rotation of Sets 1, 2, 3 every 24 months)
31.    Mongolia (2010)
32.    Colombia (2010)
33.    Turkey (2010)
34.    Mexico (2010)
35.    Philippines (2010)
36.    Norway (2011)
37.    Malta (2011)
38.    France (2011)

Many other countries/jurisdictions are in the process of doing so, or have stated that picture warnings are under consideration, including Bangladesh, Guyana, Iceland, Ireland, Macao, Mongolia, Philippines, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, South Africa, Trinidad and Tobago, Vietnam, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and potentially Yemen), and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM, which includes Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize,  Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Saint Lucia,  St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago).

For more information, visit:

http://www.tobaccolabels.org
http://www.smoke-free.ca/warnings 
http://blogsofbainbridge.typepad.com/warnings/
http://tobaccofreecenter.org/resources/warning_labels

Ranking of Countries/Jurisdictions for Largest-Sized Cigarette Package Warnings

Note: in the first column, the two numbers in parentheses indicate the size on the front of the cigarette package followed by the size on the back of the package.

Size - Average of Front and Back

80%   Uruguay (80% of front and back)
65%   Mauritius (60% of front, 70% of back)
65%   Mexico (30%, 100%)
60%   Paraguay2 (60%, 60%)
60%   Australia (30%, 90%)
60%   New Zealand (30%, 90%)
60%   Cook Islands (30%, 90%)
60%   Philippines
56%   Belgium (48%, 63%, including border)
56%   Switzerland (48%, 63%, including border)
55%   Thailand (55%, 55%)
52%   Finland (45%, 58%, including border)
52%   Ireland (45%, 58%, including border)
50%   Brunei (50%, 50%)
50%   Canada (50%, 50%)
50%   Chile (50%, 50%)
50%   Djibouti (50%, 50%)
50%   Egypt (50%, 50%)
50%   Hong Kong (50%, 50%)
50%   Iran (50%, 50%)
50%   Panama (50%, 50%)
50%   Singapore (50%, 50%)
50%   Albania (50%, 50%)
50%   Bolivia (50%, 50%)
50%   Cameroon (50%, 50%)
50%   Eritrea (50%, 50%)
50%   Madagascar (50%, 50%)
50%   Malaysia (40%, 60%)
50%   Brazil (100% of either front or back)
50%   Venezuela (100% of either front or back)
48%   unilingual EC countries (e.g. United Kingdom) that have
          properly implemented the EC Directive (43% of front, 53% of
          back, including border)
48%   Norway (43%, 53%, including border)
48%   Iceland (43%, 53%, including border)
Pending:
50%   United States (50%, 50%)

Size - Front of Package

80%   Uruguay   
65%   Turkey
60%   Mauritius
60%   Paraguay2
60%   Philippines
55%   Thailand
50%   Brunei
50%   Canada
50%   Chile
50%   Djibouti
50%   Egypt
50%   Hong Kong
50%   Iran
50%   Madagascar
50%   Panama
50%   Singapore
50%   Albania
50%   Bolivia
50%   Cameroon
50%   Eritrea
48%   Belgium
48%   Switzerland
45%   Finland

Notes
1 Cook Islands: Warnings are to either comply with the Australian or New Zealand requirements (which include pictures), or to require 50% text warnings with specified messages in English and in Cook Islands Maori.  In practice, packages contain pictures as required in Australia/New Zealand.
2 Paraguay: size will be 50%/40% in 2010, 50%/50% in 2011, and 60%/60% with yellow background in 2012.