Preventing smoking

KEY POINTS

• To prevent tobacco sales to children and adolescents, EU countries are urged to:
  • require people selling tobacco products to verify their customers are not under age;
  • ensure the removal of tobacco products from self-service displays in shops;
  • restrict access to tobacco vending machines to people under age;
  • limit access to distance sales, via the internet for example, to adults;
  • ban the sale of children’s sweets and toys that resemble tobacco products;
  • ban the sale of cigarettes individually or in packets of fewer than 19.
• To curb tobacco advertising and promotional activities, EU countries are urged to ban the use of:
  • tobacco brand names on non-tobacco products and services;
  • promotional items such as ashtrays, lighters, parasols and tobacco samples;
  • discounts, free gifts, premiums or opportunities to participate in a tobacco-related promotional game or contest;
  • billboards, posters and other forms of indoor and outdoor advertising of tobacco or related products;
  • advertising of tobacco or related products in cinemas;
  • other direct or indirect forms of advertising and sponsorship for tobacco products.
• EU countries are also urged to:
  • require manufacturers, importers and large-scale traders to inform them of the amount of money they spend on advertising, marketing, sponsorship and promotions;
  • act against the effects of passive smoking in indoor workplaces, enclosed public places and public transport. Priority should be given to educational, health care and children centres;
  • continue to develop anti-smoking strategies, particularly through health education;
  • involve young people in anti-smoking activities;
  • use pricing policy to discourage tobacco consumption;
  • verify the measures in place are being implemented;
  • inform the European Commission every 2 years of the measures they have taken.
• The Commission is urged to:
  • monitor and assess the measures taken;
  • produce a report within a year of receiving the national information;
  • consider whether any further action is necessary.
• The Commission has taken various initiatives to promote smoking prevention. These include campaigns, such as ‘Ex-Smokers are Unstoppable’, and phasing out subsidies to tobacco producers.
• Binding legislation, adopted in 2003 (Directive 2003/33/EC) and replaced in 2014 (Directive 2014/40/EU), sets out EU-wide requirements on the manufacture, presentation and sale of tobacco and similar products, such as electronic cigarettes.
• In 2009, a further recommendation urged EU countries to step up measures to protect people from passive smoking at work, public places and public transport.