EU DECODED: New smoking trends could be affected by more restrictive rules

euronews (in English)

In this edition, we look at EU Member States' decision to adopt a recommendation reducing exposure to secondhand smoke in certain outdoor spaces. The aim is to not only ban traditional cigarettes, but also inhaled tobacco products.

Transcript

00:00Smoking inside public spaces has long been banned, but outboard areas such as this playground

00:22may also soon be smoke-free.

00:23The European Union is proposing extending the ban to reduce exposure to second-hand smoke, a leading cause of cancers.

00:33The idea is to ban not only traditional cigarettes, but also other new ways of inhaling.

00:40U Decoded explains what could change.

00:43The new ban would include outdoor areas such as playgrounds and amusement parks,

00:48coffee and restaurant terraces, public transport stops and areas around health and educational establishments.

00:55Traditional tobacco products could not be consumed in these areas,

00:59as well as new products such as electronic cigarettes, heated tobacco and herbal vaporization.

01:0427% of all cancers are attributed to tobacco consumption, including exposure to second-hand smoke.

01:12So we went to hear some opinions about the new proposal.

01:16I think it's good. I'm a smoker myself, but I think it's good to have a responsibility towards children

01:22and I think it's good not to smoke on a playground.

01:25As long as other people are not affected by passive smoking,

01:30which can be the case in closed spaces,

01:33I consider smoking bans to be an inadequate and strong deterrent.

01:40If I'm standing under a parking lot when it's raining,

01:43and there's someone standing next to me coughing at me, I don't think it's good.

01:47Tobacco is going to be banned everywhere.

01:49I've been a smoker and I've been cured.

01:52The people who smoke, they're killing themselves.

01:55In terms of open spaces,

01:58which have nothing to do with health, such as hospitals,

02:04I don't think it makes sense to see the ban, because then where do people smoke?

02:09I think it's very limited, sometimes the bans for normal tobacco,

02:13and they leave out the vapes, which I think also bother people.

02:17I've heard comments like this.

02:19Marta Iraola covered this topic for Euronews.

02:23So these recommendations are not legally binding,

02:26they are a kind of guideline for the Member States.

02:29How would this work in practice?

02:32The EU Health Minister adopted the recommendations,

02:35however, because health is not an EU competence,

02:38it is now up to Member States to decide whether they apply these recommendations,

02:43up to what point do they apply them,

02:45or how to adapt them to their specific circumstances.

02:48Even in the Council, there were some Member States that abstained,

02:51like Shekia, for example, that asked for more research into normal tobacco products.

02:56There are also other countries that already have some of these measures in place.

03:00Like in Sweden, there's already a ban to not smoke in terraces of bars and restaurants,

03:06and in Lithuania, smoking is also limited to a very designated area,

03:11so now we'll have to see what measures its Members take.

03:15And even though it's not legally binding,

03:18it was controversial during a debate at the European Parliament. Why so?

03:23The institution decided to put forward a motion for resolution.

03:29It was firstly backed by the four main political groups, SND, EPP, Renew and the Greens.

03:35However, because some of the more conservative groups in the Chamber

03:40didn't want to put at the same level normal tobacco products with traditional tobacco products,

03:46they approved some amendments to that resolution.

03:50In the end, the whole thing was a bit of a mess. It ended up falling completely.

03:55And how does this fit in the broader goals of cancer reduction in the European Union?

04:02Yes, this proposal is part of a broader EU's beating cancer plan

04:06that was presented back in 2021 by former Health Commissioner Stella Kiriakides.

04:12This plan aims to reduce the burden of cancer across the EU.

04:16It has some initiatives, such as vaccine programs or skinning programs,

04:20but one of the main goals is to achieve a tobacco-free generation,

04:24which means that by 2040 only 5% of the population across Europe would be smokers.

04:30That's why the Commission presented this proposal, aiming to accelerate the pace

04:35and to include novel products that are also reaching the market nowadays.

04:39According to the World Health Organization,

04:4190% of lung cancer could be prevented by cutting out tobacco smoking.

04:46WHO believes e-cigarettes containing nicotine and other toxic substances

04:51are also very harmful to the lungs and heart.

04:54Member states receive funding through grants of up to 16 million euros

04:58to help them adopt smoke-free policies,

05:01while 18 million is available for nicotine control and addiction prevention.

05:05The European Parliament rejected the Commission's proposal on non-smoking areas abroad.

05:13My guest is Laurent Castillo, a member of the European People's Party.

05:19European conservatives and reformists have proposed an amendment

05:24to exclude new tobacco products, such as e-cigarettes and vaping.

05:32Why did your group change your mind and support this amendment?

05:37Why? First of all, before becoming a member of the European Parliament,

05:41I am a doctor, I am a medical professor,

05:44and for me, scientific proof is something major.

05:49We supported this amendment because we were missing two things today.

05:55The study of the impact on places, in particular on terraces,

06:00and the interest in e-cigarettes.

06:04A very recent congress has shown that e-cigarettes

06:09can help patients with a tobacco outbreak.

06:12So, for us, it was something we could hear about and support.

06:17Socialist Democrats have said that the right-wing parties, including the EPP,

06:23have an anti-scientific position and are subject to tobacco lobbies.

06:30Has the EPP changed its approach in terms of policies against tobacco?

06:37No, I don't think so. I think we support the goal of 2040,

06:42Europe without tobacco, at least with less than 5% of smokers.

06:46That was our goal, but I repeat, we need scientific proof.

06:51I don't think the tobacco lobbyists even came.

06:54In any case, I haven't seen any.

06:56So, it was based on scientific proof, and we can't impose,

07:00even if it wasn't compulsory,

07:03we can't make a recommendation based on feelings.

07:09But, in any case, the Member States have supported the proposal.

07:14Europeans can expect changes on this matter quickly.

07:20Each country, and France supports it, needs to set up a non-smoking zone,

07:25a zone without tobacco emissions, even for e-cigarettes.

07:30So, yes, we must fight against the effects of tobacco.

07:34I'm not the doctor who will say otherwise,

07:37but in a scientific way, with a reasonable approach.

07:40The fight against tobacco and smoking is ongoing.

07:44In 2025, the European Commission is expected to propose further rules

07:49covering taxation, advertising and innovative products,

07:53all affecting tobacco enthusiasts' habits.

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