Smoke and aerosols: EU Health Ministers recommend increased protection

Brussels, 3 December 2024

The Council has adopted a recommendation that will help reduce exposure to second-hand smoke and aerosols and achieve a tobacco-free generation in Europe by 2040 as set out in Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan.

The recommendation on smoke and aerosol-free environments adopted today encourages EU countries to broaden the scope of their existing protection against second-hand smoke exposure to include key outdoor areas like playgrounds and restaurant terraces. The new measures will also apply to emerging tobacco and related products such as e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products (HTPs).

The fight against non-communicable diseases, such as cancer and cardiovascular disease, is a priority for the Hungarian presidency. Today’s recommendation will help prevent such diseases by reducing the likelihood of exposure to second-hand smoke and aerosols, particularly among children and young people.

^{Péter Takács, Hungarian Secretary of State for Health}

Emerging tobacco products

Since the adoption of the last Council recommendation on smoke-free areas in 2009, a number of new tobacco and related products have been developed, including e-cigarettes, heated tobacco products and heated herbal products. Their emissions may be inhaled by bystanders, exposing them to potentially harmful levels of toxicants, contaminants, and other air pollutants.

The recommendation adopted today extends the provisions of the 2009 recommendation to aerosol-emitting products. To provide effective protection, EU countries will be encouraged to further restrict the use of these products in certain public spaces, public transport as well as in the workplace.

Outdoor public spaces

The new recommendation also recognises the prevalence and potential harmful effects, particularly to children and young people, of second-hand exposure to smoke and aerosols in outdoor spaces. These spaces include restaurant terraces, playgrounds, beaches and public transport. The Council therefore recommends that EU countries extend protection from second-hand smoke and aerosols to include a broader range of places.

Next steps

The Commission is expected to report on the progress made in implementing this recommendation within five years of today’s adoption. In its recommendation, the Council also highlights the importance of coupling the measures described above with intense work on the evaluation and revision of the EU’s tobacco legislation.

Background

The Commission published its proposal to revise the 2009 recommendation on smoke-free environments on 17 September 2024. Its aim is to bring the recommendation in line with market developments (e-cigarettes, emerging products) and include the use of tobacco and related products in certain outdoor spaces, such as schools and playgrounds. The proposal forms part of Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan, which aims to create a ‘tobacco-free generation’ (in which less than 5% of the population uses tobacco products) by 2040.

Source – EU Council: Visit the meeting page

EU Commission welcomes Council Recommendation on stronger measures on smoke-free environments

Brussels, 3 December 2024

The Commission welcomes the adoption by the Council today of the revision of the Council Recommendation on smoke-free environments. The revised Recommendation aims to better protect people, especially children, from second-hand smoke and aerosols. It also seeks to de-normalise and discourage the use of tobacco and emerging products, especially among younger people, and fight against nicotine addiction.

Tobacco and nicotine consumption is the largest avoidable health risk, and the most significant cause of premature death in the EU. The revised Recommendation calls on Member States to extend smoke-free environment policies to key outdoor areas, such as public playgrounds, outside areas of healthcare and education premises, public buildings and transport stops.

This Recommendation has a particular focus on better protecting children and young people from the adverse impacts of second-hand smoke. Member States also supported the revised Recommendation’s call to include emerging products (such as electronic cigarettes and heated tobacco products) in their smoke-free policies, which are increasingly appealing to very young users.

The Recommendation follows and builds on national-level actions some Member States have already taken, such as extending smoke-free policies to educational facilities and the inclusion of emerging products in existing smoking bans.

The World Health Organization has clearly stated that there is no safe level of exposure to second-hand smoke and outlines that exposure to second-hand aerosols of emerging products such as electronic cigarettes and heated tobacco products can potentially result in significant respiratory and cardiovascular issues.

The Commission will support Member States in the implementation of the Recommendation, including with EU funding from the EU4Health programme. It is up to each Member State to consider and implement the Recommendation in accordance with their national context.

Background

Nearly 700,000 lives are lost in the EU every year due to tobacco consumption. It is a leading cause of cancer, with 27% of all cancers attributable to the use of tobacco. In 2023, 24% of Europeans were estimated to be smokers. The objective of the Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan is to achieve a tobacco-free generation by 2040, where less than 5% of the EU population uses tobacco products.

For more information

Quote(s)

Many cancers, cardiovascular disease and other chronic illnesses can be avoided with basic lifestyle changes. Tobacco is a leading cause of preventable death in the EU and second-hand smoke has clear, negative health effects. The Commission is fully committed to supporting Member States’ efforts to boost the health and resilience of our population – present and future generations.

^{Teresa Ribera Rodríguez, Executive Vice-President for Clean, Just and Competitive Transition}

We lose nearly 700,000 lives in the EU every year due to tobacco consumption, and more than half of all smokers start before the age of 19. Today’s agreement is a crucial step towards our goal of a tobacco-free generation in Europe, and is critical in protecting our children and young people from the harmful effects of second-hand smoke. This is an important part of our work to tackle preventable cancer, cardiovascular disease and other illnesses across Europe.

^{Olivér Várhelyi, Commissioner for Health and Animal Welfare}

Source – EU Commission

EU-Abgeordneter Daniel Caspary (EVP CDU) kritisiert EU-Ministerratsempfehlung über rauch- und aerosolfreie Umgebungen

Zur Annahme der Ratsempfehlung “über rauch- und aerosolfreie Umgebungen” durch die EU-Gesundheitsminister erklärt Daniel Caspary (CDU), Vorsitzender der CDU/CSU-Gruppe im Europäischen Parlament:

„Es ist ein Unding, dass sich die Mitgliedstaaten einfach über den Willen des Europäischen Parlaments hinwegsetzen und diese unsinnige Empfehlung verabschiedet haben. Wie es scheint, haben die zuständigen Minister den Schuss noch nicht gehört. Die EU-Bürger wollen keine Europäische Union, die ihr Privatleben bis ins kleinste Detail reguliert. Europa ist im Bereich der Rauchverbote schlicht nicht zuständig. Gerade in herausfordernden Zeiten wie diesen geht von der Entscheidung ein fatales Signal aus. Während die europäische Wettbewerbsfähigkeit weiter schwächelt und in unserer Nachbarschaft ein blutiger Krieg tobt, sollten wir uns nicht mit unsinniger Verbotspolitik beschäftigen müssen.“

Quelle – CDU/CSU-Gruppe im EU Parlament (per E-Mail)

S&D Group: Young people’s health undermined as EPP and far right block stronger smoke-free rules

The European Parliament failed to protect children and young people today, as a coalition of the Conservative European People’s Party and far-right groups blocked critical recommendations to extend public bans against the harms of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products. As a result, the Socialists and Democrats Group was forced to vote against the watered-down resolution to preserve the integrity of smoke-free policies.

In opposition to the right wing, the S&Ds wanted to extend public bans to emerging tobacco products, responding to growing evidence from the World Health Organisation (WHO) on the severe respiratory and cardiovascular risks posed by second-hand emissions from these devices. The outcome is all the more regrettable given the overwhelming evidence that children and young people are increasingly targeted by these new products, which are often falsely marketed as less harmful.

Alessandra Moretti, the S&D negotiator on the resolution, said:

“The anti-scientific position of the right wing groups, supported also by the EPP, prevented the Parliament from approving a Resolution that could have protected people’s health from smoke and aerosols, in particular the most vulnerable such as children and pregnant women.

“The S&D Group will never accept to compromise on people’s health. Today’s vote confirms our commitment for the health of Europeans, against tobacco lobbies, and for a true European Health Union that protects everyone.”

Tiemo Wölken, S&D coordinator for the environment, public health and food safety committee said:

“It is cynical and scandalous that the EPP does not want to combat the number one cause of cancer and instead falls for the tobacco lobby’s rhetoric that e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products are harmless. They praise the EU’s Beating Cancer Plan, but vote against any measure that would help to implement it.

“We must especially protect children and young adults and prevent them from starting to smoke again. It is very concerning that the number of young people turning to e-cigarettes is rising and we need to put a stop to this. We had already made significant progress in this area, but the tobacco industry has found a new lever to continue poisoning our children.”

Source – S&D Group (by email)

ECR Group: Smoking alternatives must not be snubbed

The European Conservatives and Reformists believe that the Commission’s proposal to subject e-cigarettes to the same restrictions as combustible cigarettes goes too far. Speaking ahead of today’s vote in the European Parliament, ECR shadow rapporteur Pietro Fiocchi, said: “We see the outdoor smoking ban as a violation of individual freedom.”

The Commission’s text aims to treat electronic cigarettes and heated tobacco products in the same way as cigarettes, preventing users from using them where cigarettes are banned and extending the ban not only to all indoor areas but also to outdoor areas, such as terraces and public transport stations.

“In our opinion, the proposal lacks an assessment of the real risk and ignores new scientific evidence”, Fiocchi stressed.

The ECR Group supports the goal of a tobacco-free generation by 2040, with less than 5 per cent of the population using tobacco, compared to around 25 per cent today. However, the Commission ignores the fact that cigarette alternatives such as vaping continue to prove helpful for people trying to quit smoking. According to Fiocchi, the demonisation of smoking alternatives is irrational, especially by advocates of political parties that support the liberalisation of recreational cannabis.

Source – ECR Group (by email)