Tobacco
Greek court says e-cigarettes do not differ from traditional smoking
A top Greek court has decided that electronic cigarettes should have the same legal restrictions as traditional smoking does when it comes to bans in public places and advertising.
WHO urged to end ‘ineffective’ tobacco plain packaging
The removal of brands from packaging is a "gross violation" of intellectual property rights and has failed to achieve its intended goals, the Property Rights Alliance argues in a letter to the World Health Organisation.
Campaigners tell Austria smoking ban is not ‘freedom of choice’ but a health right
Any visitor from Western Europe who enters a bar or a pizza place in Austria is undoubtedly surprised that smoking on the premises is still tolerated and actively practised.
Australia proves that EU tobacco plain packaging will fail
Plain packaging policy has been unsuccessful in reducing smoking rates and health-care costs in Australia and it will fail to do so in Europe too, writes Sinclair Davidson.
Commission opposes excise tax on e-cigarettes and novel tobacco products, for now
Due to limited data, the European Commission decided to not propose a harmonised approach for excise taxation of e-cigarettes and other novel tobacco products until further information about these products is available.
Commission urges Greece to implement smoking ban in public places
The number of smokers in Greece has decreased the last five years, however, the non-implementation of a smoking ban law in enclosed public places has irritated the population, which calls it “cultural degradation”.
In Focus: Sinclair Davidson on plain packaging
Professor Sinclair Davidson from RMIT University in Australia joins EURACTIV's Brian Maguire to talk about the plain packaging policy for tobacco products introduced in Australia five years ago.
COPD is on the European Commission’s agenda, EU health chief says
Diagnosis tools like spirometry should be promoted in order to monitor lung systems and prevent the spreading of illness like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the second cause of death worldwide, the EU's Health Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis told EURACTIV.com.
Andriukaitis lashes out at tobacco industry, says it uses ‘tricks’ to bypass legislation
EXCLUSIVE / The tobacco industry is already feeling the pressure from the implementation of EU anti-tobacco legislation and is exploring ways to bypass it and mislead EU consumers, Commissioner for Health and Food Safety Vytenis Andriukaitis told EURACTIV.com in an interview.
Commission backs French idea to ban on-screen smoking
The European Commission is supportive of an idea recently raised in France to ban smoking in films in order to make tobacco consumption less glamorous, an EU official told EURACTIV.com.
Patients’ leader: Reimbursed anti-smoking programmes are a way to kill COPD
Stricter rules on smoking, reimbursed anti-smoking programmes and smoke-free public places are among the ways to prevent chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) from being a public health crisis, says Mikaela Odemyr.