Mission statement and objectives

Despite evidence that tobacco control measures by the European Community and within the Member States have had a positive effect on smoking rates and saved thousands of lives, smoking still remains the largest single cause of preventable death and disease in Europe.

Although much has been achieved in tobacco control over the past decade, increased capacity for tobacco control is needed at civil society level in order to bring about further changes within Member States and the EC. Resources available for tobacco control actions still fall far short of what is needed, despite the trans-national nature of the tobacco industry and the need to facilitate a European response.

The Smoke Free Partnership was formed to fill this gap. The Partnership is made up of Cancer Research UK, the European Respiratory Society and the Institut National du Cancer, and aims to consolidate tobacco control advocacy efforts and policy research at EU and national levels in collaboration with other EU health organisations and EU tobacco control networks.

In order to achieve its aims, the partnership will build on existing alliances, support national tobacco control efforts, supplement existing tobacco control activities at EU level and harness the partners’ existing research and funding capacities, as well as develop NGO capacity and research strategy at EU level in a more targeted way.