WHO report on global tobacco control efforts

14/02/2008

This landmark new report presents the first comprehensive worldwide analysis of tobacco use and control efforts. It provides countries with a roadmap to reverse the devastating global tobacco epidemic that could kill up to one billion people by the end of this century.

The report outlines the MPOWER package, a set of six key tobacco control measures that reflect and build on the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.

http://www.who.int/tobacco/mpower/en/index.html

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Tobacco product regulation seminar

A seminar on tobacco product regulation took place in Leuven, Belgium on May 3-4, 2007.

The objective of the meeting was to bring together European and national tobacco control advocates and coalitions to discuss how to move tobacco and nicotine product regulation forward in the EU. Speakers included Prof. John Britton, Dr Jacques Le Houzec and Dr Ann McNeill. The meeting was organised by the ERS in collaboration with the Smoke Free Partnership, the European Heart Network, the Comité National Contre le Tabagisme (France) and other European health organisations.

The seminar ended with the drafting of a  consensus document.

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The Smoke Free Partnership

The Smoke Free Partnership (SFP) is a strategic, independent and flexible partnership between the European Respiratory Society, Cancer Research UK and the Institut National du Cancer. It 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.

For more information on the Smoke Free Parnership, please visit the  SFP website

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Tobacco Control

Tobacco smoking is the major cause of preventable death and disease in developed societies. Over 650,000 European citizens are killed every year due to smoking-related diseases and 13 million more are suffering as a result of their smoking.

Over the past two decades, the European Union has made substantial progress on tobacco control policy. Legislation concerning tobacco products - manufacture, presentation and sale, advertising and sponsorship, and health warnings - has been adopted and is being implemented by all members of the Union.

In 1992, EU Member States agreed to create the Community Tobacco Fund financed directly from the aid granted for the production of raw tobacco within the framework of the common agricultural policy. The Fund was created in order to finance projects in two main areas:

1. Development of new tobacco varieties and cultivation methods, alternative uses for raw tobacco and alternative crops (until 2001) and projects to help tobacco growers switch to other crops or activities (since 2002).

2. Improving public awareness of the harmful effects of tobacco consumption through education and information.

The payment of tobacco subsidies by the European Union to growers was reviewed by the Council of Ministers in 2004. As a result, subsidies to tobacco growers will be progressively phased out and, therefore, the Tobacco Fund will come to an end before the end of the decade.

The European Union - Directorate General for Health and Consumer Protection recently launched the media campaign ‘Help - for a life without tobacco'. The campaign will promote tobacco-free lifestyles and it will highlight the dangers of passive smoking and support the trend towards tobacco-free public places.

The Framework Convention on Tobacco Control was adopted by the World Health Organization in May 2003. The Treaty entered into force in February 2005 and it became the binding law for all countries that are Parties. The Treaty requires countries to impose restrictions on tobacco advertising, sponsorship and promotion, establish new packaging and labelling of tobacco products, establish clean indoor air controls and strengthen legislation on tobacco smuggling.