Calls to lower use of tobacco increase, as Commission registers new citizens’ initiative

After taking steps toward decreasing tobacco use in the EU as part of Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan, the Commission registered a new European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) on the theme on Wednesday (24 August).

The ECI is named “Call to achieve a tobacco-free environment and the first European tobacco-free generation by 2030”, and the organisers behind it call for EU legislation to prevent young generations from beginning to use tobacco while limiting its environmental consequences.

Concrete calls consist of a wish to “end the sale of tobacco and nicotine products to citizens born in 2010 onwards”, the creation of a “European network of tobacco and cigarette butt-free national parks”, and to “eliminate tobacco advertising and its presence in audiovisual productions and social media.”

ECI’s were introduced in the Lisbon Treaty. When the Commission has registered an ECI, organisers must collect signatures from at least one million citizens from a minimum of seven EU member states to prompt action from the Commission.

This one could gain a lot of traction, as the Commission has announced similar ambitions in their “Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan” from 2021, in which they strive for a “tobacco-free Europe” with less than 5% of the population using tobacco by 2040.

“Tobacco consumption continues to be the leading cause of preventable cancer, with 27% of all cancers attributed to tobacco use,” the Commission stated in the plan.

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EU institutions turn away from tobacco

On 29 June, EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides announced a proposal to ban flavoured heated tobacco products in response to “the significant increase in the volumes of heated tobacco products sold across the EU.”

“With nine out of ten lung cancers caused by tobacco, we want to make smoking as unattractive as possible to protect the health of our citizens and save lives,” said Kyriakides in June.

“Stronger actions to reduce tobacco consumption, stricter enforcement and keeping pace with new developments to address the endless flow of new products entering the market – particularly important to protect younger people – is key for this. Prevention will always be better than cure,” she added.

The European Parliament has also been vocal in the fight against tobacco, following the work of its special committee on beating cancer (BECA), which released a final report in February 2022.

Here the MEPs announced their support for the goal of a “tobacco-free generation” and the intention of reviewing the Tobacco Products Directive, the Tobacco Products Tax Directive and the legal framework for cross-border tobacco purchases by private individuals.

They also ask for more clarity on “health risks related to electronic cigarettes, heated tobacco products and novel tobacco products, including the assessment of the risks of using these products compared to consuming other tobacco products.”

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Bad for both human and planetary health

Only Friday (19 August), a new study in the scientific journal The Lancet showed that half of all global cancer deaths are due to risk factors, with tobacco coming out on top.

In the spring, the World Health Organisation published details on the damning health effects tobacco has on humans and the world around us, as referenced by both the newly registered ECI and the final BECA report.

“Tobacco’s impact on the environment occurs at various stages, including growing and cultivation, manufacturing, distribution, use and disposal of tobacco products,” the report reads.

“Each of these stages has negative implications for the environment, including the use of precious resources such as water and trees and the creation of pollutants through manufacturing,” it continues and highlights that “production and consumption of tobacco also contribute to global warming, releasing 80 million tonnes of carbon dioxide into the environment each year.”

The report suggests changing policies to put more pressure on tobacco producers, adding environmental taxes on tobacco, treating cigarette filters as single-use plastics and more.

Risk factors result in half of the world’s cancer deaths, new study concludes

A study in the scientific journal The Lancet shows that half of all global cancer deaths are due to risk factors such as smoking and alcohol use, arguing for intensified political focus on prevention.

[Edited by Gerardo Fortuna/Alice Taylor]

Read more with Euractiv

Risk factors result in half of the world’s cancer deaths, new study concludes

A study in the scientific journal The Lancet shows that half of all global cancer deaths are due to risk factors such as smoking and alcohol use, arguing for intensified political focus on prevention.