Smoke free partnership

Brussels, 4 April 2008 - Half of the Europe's workforce remains unprotected

margarida — 2008-08-08T14:43:01Z

Less than a third of the EU Member States have introduced fully comprehensive smokefree legislation, three years after the world's first public health treaty on tobacco control – the World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) – introduced the need for protecting employees from the dangerous effects of second-hand smoke.

Today's "Spotlight on the FCTC" reveals how only nine of the 25 EU Member States that have signed and ratified the WHO treaty have so far introduced comprehensive smokefree legislation, leaving over half of Europe's workforce exposed to second-hand smoke.

When tobacco smoke contaminates the air, it is breathed in by everyone, smokers and non-smokers alike. There are more than 4,000 chemicals in tobacco smoke, including 69 known carcinogens.

Comprehensive smokefree legislation has been introduced in Estonia, Finland, France, Ireland, Italy, Malta, Slovenia, Sweden and the UK. Jean-Luc Eiselé, Executive Director of the European Respiratory Society said: “The scientific evidence is clear: second-hand smoke kills. Only comprehensive smokefree legislation fully protects workers from the detrimental effects of second-hand smoke. We congratulate those countries that have taken the steps necessary to become smokefree, but all workers in the EU should have the same level of protection.”

Jean King, Director of Tobacco Control at Cancer Research UK, added: “Countries that have already introduced comprehensive smokefree legislation are finding that the legislation is workable and has almost immediate health benefits. We hope these examples will encourage the countries that have not yet taken the necessary action to introduce smokefree workplaces to do so as soon as possible.”

The FCTC aims to protect people from the health, economic and social impacts of tobacco. It recognises that second-hand exposure to tobacco smoke has been scientifically proven to cause death, disease and disability. Countries that have signed and ratified the FCTC are required to reflect its principles in their national legislation and polices, including the provisions concerning second-hand smoke.

'Spotlight on the FCTC' , prepared by the Smokefree Partnership, highlights how the European Commission, European Parliament and EU Member States have met, or in some cases failed to meet, their obligations to tackle second-hand smoke, according to Article 8 of the convention.

The booklet also draws attention to the fact the European Parliament failed to maintain its own comprehensive smoking ban, which was introduced in January 2007, and lasted 43 days before being revoked by the governing body of MEPs. A ruling by the European Ombudsman found that the Parliament was failing to protect the health of its staff.

A 2007 Parliamentary report led by MEP Karl Heinz Florenz in response to a Commission Green Paper on a smokefree Europe, states that "only a full smoking ban in all enclosed workplaces, including catering and drinking establishments, and all public buildings and transport, can protect the health of employees and non-smokers." The report also called on the Parliament's Bureau, in the light of its duty to set an example, to implement a full smoking ban in all parts of the Parliament, but no action has yet been taken.

MEP Gerard Onesta said: “The alarming decision by the European Parliament to scrap its own smokefree rules highlights a dangerous disregard some MEP's have for the health of those workers affected. Their original commitment to a smokefree European Parliament showed they understood the dangers of second-hand smoke. They urgently need to lead by example and reverse this disastrous setback for the future of a healthy Europe.”

MEP Karl Heinz Florenz added: I will continue to fight for strong smokefree policies at national and European level, as well as in the European Parliament itself. MEPs and the European Parliament as an institution should live up to their public health responsibilities and take the lead on this issue. The smoking ban in the European Parliament needs to be put into effect now!

For media enquiries, please contact Florence Berteletti Kemp, on +32 2 238 53 63.

NOTES TO EDITORS This press release has been written on behalf of the European Respiratory Society and Cancer Research UK. The Smokefree Partnership (SFP) is strategic, independent and flexible and aims to promote tobacco control advocacy and policy research at EU and national levels in collaboration with other EU health organisations and EU tobacco control networks.

The "Spotlight on the FCTC" is a series of briefing papers on the FCTC and EU's associated obligations prepared by the Smokefree Partnership.

Smokefree Partnership 49-51 rue de Tréves, 1040 Brussels; Tel: +32 2 238 53 63, Fax: +32 2 238 53 61, www.smokefreepartnership.eu

The FCTC: The FCTC is the world's first international public health treaty. It recognises the harm that tobacco products and the companies that produce them can cause. The Treaty sets out legally binding objectives and principles that countries or regional economic integration organisations (such as the European Community) who ratified, and thus agreed to implement, the Treaty must follow.

All EU Member States, with the exception of Italy and the Czech Republic, have signed and ratified the FCTC so the principles of the Treaty must be reflected in their national legislation and polices. The European Community, represented by the European Commission, is also a Party to the FCTC.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION SEE:

For the full text of the FCTC:

www.who.int/tobacco/framework/WHO_FCTC_english.pdf

WHO: www.who.int/tobacco/framework/en

The Framework Convention Alliance for Tobacco Control (FCA): www.fctc.org

Brussels, 6 June 2007 - Pro-smoking MEPs fail constituents after reversing ban

Nicky — 2007-06-06T11:20:45Z

A straw poll has today (Wednesday, 6th June 2007) revealed that nearly half of respondent MEPs support the building of smoking rooms in the European Parliament's buildings at the tax payers' expense – according to the Smokefree Partnership (SFP)

Brussels, 6th June 2007: a straw poll has revealed that nearly half of respondent MEPs support the building of smoking rooms in the European Parliament's buildings at the tax payers' expense – according to the Smokefree Partnership (SFP).

Forty-five per cent of those questioned disagreed with the widely held belief that building smoking rooms provided no public health benefit and was a waste of tax payers' money, and 17% had no opinion on the matter.

Asked whether they thought that all workplaces, including private offices, should be smoke free, an alarmingly high number of MEPs from the UK and Ireland (45%) disagreed.

Among MEPs in the new member states, 21% disagreed with smoke-free workplaces; this rose to 29% among the old EU states, excluding the UK and Ireland.

Brussels, 31 May 2007 - More Than 200 Million People Fully Protected from Secondhand Smoke

Florence Berteletti — 2007-05-31T13:43:03Z

More than 200 million people worldwide will be fully protected from secondhand smoke at work and in public places by July 1, 2007, according to a report published today (May 31). The report concludes that the dramatic success of smokefree laws makes it inevitable that comprehensive smokefree air legislation will be introduced worldwide, including in all European Countries.

The report, Global Voices for a Smokefree World, was released by the Global Smokefree Partnership to coincide with the World Health Organization's World No Tobacco Day.

Please find below a press release from the SmokeFree Partnership relating to the report and urging governments to meet the smokefree challenge.

Brussels, 28 February 2007 - The waifer of paper that would save 1000 lives

xavier — 2007-05-30T16:10:00Z

MEPs meeting in Brussels today pledged themselves to pursue a low cost, low tech product reform that is set to save thousands of lives across Europe.

MEPs meeting in Brussels today pledged themselves to pursue a low cost, low tech product reform that is set to save thousands of lives across Europe. After a hearing convened by Arlene McCarthy MEP Chairwoman of the European Parliament Committee on Internal Market and Consumer Protection taking evidence from international experts, politicians and members of civil society signed a pledge to pursue Europe-wide implementation of a standard for fire safer cigarettes.

Brussels, 28 February 2007 - Europeans pledge to fight fire with fire safer cigarettes

Florence Berteletti — 2007-05-30T16:04:13Z

A new EU campaign to introduce self-extinguishing cigarettes and help prevent 1,000 deaths and 13m euros of damage caused by smoking-related fires across Europe every year is to be launched today (Wednesday 28 February) in Brussels.

Brussels, 28 February 2007 - A new EU campaign to introduce self-extinguishing cigarettes and help prevent 1,000 deaths and 13m euros of damage caused by smoking-related fires across Europe every year is to be launched today (Wednesday 28 February) in Brussels.

Fire fighters, fire victims and campaigners from across Europe are calling for a new EU standard to ensure that all cigarettes are produced in a way that ensures they usually go out when not being smoked. Known as ‘RIP', which stands for ‘reduced ignition propensity', the technology is based on a particular design that reduces the cigarette's propensity to burn but makes no difference to the taste of the cigarette.

Brussels, 12 February 2007 - European Parliament scraps smoking ban after only six weeks. Health organisations condemn European Parliament for failing to protect staff and visitors and wasting millions of Euros.

Florence Berteletti — 2007-05-30T16:00:00Z

On Monday 12th February, the European Parliament Bureau voted 14 to 1 to scrap recently introduced provisions banning smoking in its premises. The rules were introduced in all the Parliament buildings in Belgium, France and Luxembourg on 1 January 2007 as a result of a 2004 case to the European Ombudsman who found that the Parliament was failing to protect the health of its staff.

Brussels, 12 february 2007 - On Monday 12th February, the European Parliament Bureau voted 14 to 1 to scrap recently introduced provisions banning smoking in its premises. The rules were introduced in all the Parliament buildings in Belgium, France and Luxembourg on 1 January 2007 as a result of a 2004 case to the European Ombudsman who found that the Parliament was failing to protect the health of its staff.

Brussels, 10 January 2007 - Health groups unite to condemn BAT event on social reporting in the European Parliament

Florence Berteletti — 2007-05-30T15:57:44Z

Brussels, 10 January 2007 - Some of Europe's leading health organisations today criticised a meeting called by British American Tobacco to sell its social reporting strategy in the European Parliament.
Some of Europe's leading health organisations today criticised a meeting called by British American Tobacco to sell its social reporting strategy in the European Parliament. - Press releases