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Topics of interest

Smoking continues to be the largest single cause of death and disease in the European Union (EU), despite the progress that has been made in tobacco control. Over 650,000 Europeans are killed every year because they smoke, which accounts for one in seven of all deaths across the EU, and over 13 million more are suffering from a serious chronic disease as a result of their smoking (the ASPECT report, 2005, p. 13). The WHO estimates that, worldwide, tobacco is responsible for the death of about 5 million people each year, which is one in ten adult deaths. The SFP believes that a number of interventions should be put in place in order to significantly reduce the death and disease caused by tobacco, especially in the fields of product regulation, smoke free environments, taxation and smuggling and the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.

  • Taxation and smuggling of tobacco products

    The Tobacco Atlas, published by the American Cancer Society and the International Union against Cancer, indicates that price is the most important factor affecting short-term tobacco consumption patterns. Price is considered a powerful determinant of smoking initiation in youths and a determinant which modulates behaviours among various social groups.

  • The Framework Convention on Tobacco Control

    The Framework Convention on Tobacco Control was adopted in 2003, and is the first treaty negotiated under the auspices of the WHO. The FCTC includes a number of provisions which address issues related to tobacco use, and focuses on prevention and protection, as well as on cessation and harm reduction.

  • Tobacco Product Regulation

    Since 1990, the EC has started to regulate tobacco products in order to make the them less toxic to consumers. However, the measures for regulating the toxicity of the cigarette itself have been very limited, despite the 2001 Tobacco Products Directive 2001/37/EC, which mandates a further reduction in tar, nicotine and carbon monoxide yields.

  • Smoke free environments

    More than 79,000 adults die each year as a result of passive smoking in the 25 countries of the EU. The overall figure includes smokers and non-smokers, because inhaling side-stream smoke from cigarettes kills people in both groups.

    A total of just over 19,000 of the deaths are among non-smokers.