Curbing tobacco use a longstanding EU health priority

Curbing the use of tobacco is a clear policy priority for the EU. Building on its changing competencies and instruments the EU has developed a comprehensive approach. This has resulted in the current four-tiered strategy based on legal measures, preventive action, mainstreaming across Community policies, and involvement in global efforts.

Efforts to reduce tobacco use evolved over twenty years

The initial legal efforts, tackling smoking in public places, television broadcasting, and supporting healthy workplaces, were also taken in the late 1980s. Since then, many more legal measures have been taken and the reduction of tobacco use and dependence has featured prominently in all consecutive Community public health action programmes.

EU smoking strategy consists of four key elements

The EU's efforts consist of four key elements:

• legislative measures, based on the Community Treaties as well as more specific, secondary legislation;
• support for Europe-wide and cross-national smoking prevention and cessation activities, financed via action programmes and the Community Tobacco Fund;
• mainstreaming of tobacco control into a range of other Community policies;
• ensuring the Community’s achievements also have an impact outside the EU region, by fostering international co-operation and taking on a major role in tobacco control at a global level.

Treaty provides primary legal base

EU competencies in health and safety, and taxation have also provided legal ground for tobacco control measures.

Secondary legislation: specific measures to support tobacco control

The provisions in the Treaty have been given force through a range of secondary legal measures to support tobacco control. Together, they underpin and complement the Community’s action, including a range of smoking prevention and cessation activities.

Binding legal measures include Directives on:

• the advertising and sponsorship of tobacco products;
• the structure and rates of excise duty applied on manufactured tobacco;
• the manufacture, presentation and sale of tobacco products;
• television broadcasting, banning the advertising of tobacco products; and
• minimum safety and health requirements for the workplace.

Non-binding legal measures include:

• a Council Recommendation on the prevention of smoking and on initiatives to improve tobacco control. This recommendation pays particular attention to measures restricting youth access to tobacco; and
• a Resolution on banning smoking in public places. Since the adoption of the resolution in 1989, Member States’ governments have developed their own specific action to implement this resolution, and have done so at their own pace.

A complete overview of EU legal documents related to tobacco control can be found on the DG SANCO website.

Broad consultation process on reduction of second-hand smoke

Early in 2007 the Commission published a Green Paper (COM (2007) 27 final) launching a broad consultation process on the best way forward to tackle second-hand smoke. Exposure to second-hand smoke is also known as ‘passive smoking’, and is increasingly recognized as a major threat to health, throughout the EU. The Commission had already committed itself in its Environment and Health Action Plan (2004-2010) to improve indoor air quality by encouraging the restriction of smoking in all workplaces (COM (2004) 416 final).

Community Tobacco Fund: increasing public awareness

The Community Tobacco Fund was created in 1992 from a 2% levy on the subsidies given to the growing of tobacco in the EU. It was initially known as the ‘Fund for Research and Information on Tobacco’. Through this fund, money is made available for public information projects to increase awareness on the harmful effects of tobacco consumption. The fund is scheduled to finish in 2008.

Thus far, the Fund has supported two public anti-smoking campaigns managed by the European Commission:

• the Feel Free To Say No campaign, which ran between 2002 and 2004;
• the HELP – For a life without tobacco campaign, which was launched in 2005 and will run until 2008 with a total budget of € 72 million.

In addition, the fund finances projects that support tobacco growers to switch to other crops or activities.

Supportive action: prevention, networking and building knowledge base

Two important tobacco control networks set up via the EU public health action programmes are ENSP (European Network for Smoking Prevention) and ENYPAT (European Network for Young People and Tobacco). For more detailed information on these two networks, please see: ENSP and ENYPAT: two major networks against smoking in the EU.

The EU’s Framework Programmes on Research and Development have also supported the knowledge base for tobacco control across the EU. Developing a better understanding of the effectiveness of fiscal policies for tobacco control in Europe is among the priority areas of the 7th Framework Programme running from 2007 to 2013.