About: Framework Convention on Tobacco Control
Commission: EU tobacco track and trace will be fully functional in a year
The much-awaited EU tobacco track and trace system will be fully functional in "maximum one year" after its official launch due on 20 May, a European Commission official told EURACTIV.com.
Smoking is slavery and against human rights, activists say
Smoking is a form of slavery and is completely incompatible with widely recognised human rights, activists against smoking have said. They also criticised the so-called novel tobacco products for muddying the waters with the claims of being "much less harmful". EURACTIV.com reports from Bucharest.
E-cigarettes should be treated as a normal consumer good, industry says
Electronic cigarettes should be seen as a normal consumer product and not be regulated under the Tobacco Products Directive, according to Giovanni Carucci, vice president EU affairs at British American Tobacco (BAT).
WHO official: With e-cigarettes, the tobacco industry just ‘changed clothes’
In an interview with EURACTIV.com, Dr Vera Luiza da Costa, the Head of Secretariat of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), has lashed out against the tobacco industry, saying that with its push for electronic cigarettes the trade “just changed clothes while the content remains the same.”
Individual action against smoking is not enough, Romanian president says
Romanian President Klaus Iohannis accused the country’s socialist government on Tuesday (26 March) of failing to inform citizens about tobacco-related risks and ignoring prevention as a tool against smoking. EURACTIV.com reports from Bucharest.
Public health activists say eradicating tobacco must be a human right
Halting the spread of tobacco “epidemic” worldwide is a human right, which global leaders should recognise as such and take particular measures in this direction, public health activists told EURACTIV.com ahead of an anti-tobacco conference in Bucharest next week.
Tobacco control: What’s next?
Tobacco consumption is the most significant cause of premature death in the EU, according to the European Commission. It is responsible for nearly 700,000 deaths every year.
EU Commission accused of ignoring science on e-cigarettes
The European Commission’s recent statement comparing electronic cigarettes to “poison” has prompted a strong reaction from stakeholders, who accused the EU executive of disregarding scientific evidence.
BAT: Need for a ‘consistent’ science-based view on e-cigarettes
The public health community needs to adopt a consistent science-based view on new generation tobacco products in order to properly inform regulators around the world and thereby shape a stable framework, James Murphy, the head of Reduced Risk Substantiation at British American Tobacco (BAT) told EURACTIV.com in an interview.
MEP: France is wrong to shun OLAF in tackling tobacco smuggling
France and other countries that need help tackling the rising illicit tobacco trade should ask for assistance from the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF), according to Czech MEP Tomáš Zdechovský.
WHO and EU clash with tobacco industry over plain packaging effectiveness
The drive to impose plain packaging on tobacco products, in the hope of discouraging current and potential smokers, has pitted the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the EU against the tobacco industry.
Plain packaging: ‘Brand-theft’ or better consumer protection?
The rising trend of imposing plain packaging on unhealthy products has raised eyebrows in the industry, which fears that its brands are under threat. The World Health Organisation, on the other hand, insists that the measure provides a long-term benefit for public health.
The EU is no progressive free trader: It’s exporting chronic diseases to Latin America
If the EU truly wants to be the global progressive trading power, it needs to make sure its trade policy does not promote ill-health, and instead makes a real contribution to the SDGs, writes George Thurley.
Andriukaitis: E-cigarettes under thorough scrutiny, and not the way to stop smoking
Electronic cigarettes are currently known for being “less damaging” than traditional smoking but they still cause harm and people should not use them to cut smoking, EU health chief told EURACTIV.com.
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.
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.
Angry tobacco industry asks Andriukaitis for ‘transparent dialogue’
The tobacco industry is fuming at EU Health Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis following his statement that manufacturers are “silent” over illicit trade.
EU health boss Andriukaitis ‘does not listen’
EU Health Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis and his services have systematically refused meaningful dialogue and appropriate consultations, Peter van der Mark writes in reaction to an interview published on EURACTIV.com
EU mandatory register for lobbyists, a baby step towards full transparency
Over time, the business of influence has been honed into a fine art in Western democracies. But that art is becoming increasingly regulated, even if the average citizen perceives lobbyists as cigar-smoking men in suits wining and dining lawmakers to gain an unfair advantage.
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.
EU’s approach to COPD remains focused on tobacco control
Despite alarming figures, the European Commission does not plan specific targets or a harmonised approach for the prevention of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Instead, it says it will ensure tobacco control policies are properly implemented in the member states.
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.
Kadenbach MEP: Tobacco warnings should mention chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Progress has been made on tobacco products health warnings but the next round of graphic labelling should also mention the less-known chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which happens to be the second cause of death worldwide, MEP Karin Kadenbach told EURACTIV.com.