SMOKE FREE PARTNERSHIP UPDATES

The Comité National Contre Le Tabagisme (CNCT), one of the Smoke Free Partnership (SFP) main partners, has published a White Paper on how to achieve a tobacco free generation, as well as a series of proposals for the French National Tobacco Control Programme 2023-2027. According to CNCT Director Yves Martinet, "the purpose of this White Paper is to clearly highlight the multiple contributions of civil society in the fight against tobacco, and the essential role it has to play in the achievement of a tobacco- free generation. With manufacturers constantly developing new nicotine- based products and seeking to renew their market, actions led by civil society appear to be more crucial than ever."

The sale of cigarettes is incredibly profitable for tobacco giants. In 2018, the six biggest tobacco producers made a tidy sum of 55 billion dollars in profit. That's more than Coca-Cola, Pepsico, Nestlé, Mondelez, Fedex, General Mills (including Häagen-Dazs), Starbucks, Heineken and Carlsberg put together.

The Comité National Contre Le Tabagisme (CNCT), one of the Smoke Free Partnership (SFP) main partners, was instrumental in the incorporation of a mention of Article 5.3 in the ethics guide that was disseminated to all members of the French National Assembly.

The second edition of the SFP Newsletter is out.

Learn about policy updates, SFP policy materials submitted to the Commission and read the news from our partners.

On 25 July, Trends published a long interview with Frederic De Wilde, CEO of Philip Morris Europe. He labels his company as a good example of a sector in transition. But is this credible? Other newspapers published an article on 23 June regarding PMI’s takeovers and investments in wellness and healthcare, of all things.    

31 May is World No Tobacco Day, organized by WHO, World Health Organization. This year, 16 Swedish anti-tobacco organizations are investing in showing the difference between genuine joy and belonging and the false image conveyed in advertising for new nicotine products. With the help of Tiktok stars and Silent Disco flashmobs are organized around Sweden to sound the alarm that more and more young people are starting with white snus and puff bars.

In February 2022, the advertising agency Mediatransports twice refused to allow the French public health group, ACT-Alliance contre le tabac to advertise in the Parisian subway and railway stations. The blocked advertisements are from ACT’s latest campaign “Change their future” which denounces the tobacco industry’s exploitation of young people.

SFP is joining its voice to 11 organisations to support the report developed by the European Parliament’s Special Committee on Beating Cancer (BECA); and call on Members of the European Parliament to adopt the report during the plenary vote of February with no weakening of its recommendations on cancer prevention.

The EHN published a paper in September 2021, focusing on Heated Tobacco Products (HTPs) and their harmful impact on the cardiovascular system. Find out more and access the full paper here.

Since May 2020, a ban on the sale of menthol cigarettes and menthol roll-your-own tobacco has been in place across the EU. In a new briefing, Génération Sans Tabac and Comité National Contre le Tabagisme examine the status quo and tobacco industry's tactics for circumventing the ban, with a special focus on France and other Member States.

To prevent the growing uptake of electronic cigarettes and heated tobacco products (HTPs) by young people and reduce the products’ affordability, the Parliament of Ukraine increased taxes on tobacco products (Law 466-IX).

Plain packaging for cigarettes and rolling tobacco will be a reality in Belgium as of 1 January 2020. The Belgian Alliance for a Smoke Free Society congratulated the Minister of Health De Block and her administration as this measure is crucial for allowing children to grow up smoke free and to protect them from tobacco addiction.

22 mars 2019 – Tous les grands partis politiques soutiennent le principe de l’initiative Générations Sans Tabac, qui veut que tout enfant né à partir de 2019 puisse grandir sans tabac et ne se mette pas à fumer. Il existe en outre un soutien massif de la part des milieux politiques, qui désirent prendre les mesures nécessaires afin que la première génération sans tabac devienne une réalité d’ici 2037. Telles sont les conclusions du débat politique organisé ce matin à Bruxelles par l’Alliance pour une Société sans Tabac. L’Alliance souhaite que le principe défendu par l’initiative Générations Sans Tabac soit intégré aux accords de gouvernement fédéral et régionaux et que les prochains gouvernements élaborent un plan antitabac ambitieux et cohérent.

21 March 2019: The sesssion, titled “Responsible Lobbying: Aligning Profit for Public Good” should not include a tobacco industry representative: one cannot speak of integrity and responsibility when it comes to tobacco industry interference.

8th March 2019: The International Network of Women against Tobacco (INWAT) calls out the Phillip Morris International (PMI) “Week of Women,” – a so called celebration of International Women’s Day a hoax.

Kiev, 19 February 2019 - Ukraine reports a decrease in the sales of cigarettes, in line with the country's successful steps towards increasing tobacco taxes in the past years. The SFP Coalition Partner NGO Advocacy Center 'Life' has prepared a press release with additional information.

Kiev, 15 November 2018 - Newly published results from the Global Youth Tobacco Survey show improvements in smoking prevalence rates among Ukrainian children. The SFP Coalition Partner NGO Advocacy Center 'Life' has prepared a press release with additional information.

Vilnius, February 2017 - Early last year, Lithuania reached a consensus position on tobacco industry interference. On this occasion, our SFP Coalition partner, the Lithuanian National Tobacco and Alcohol Control Coalition (NTAKK) prepared a statement with more information.

The Romanian Pneumology and Cardiology Societies have released an executive summary of the 2018 No Tobacco Campaign, available below.

Nofumadores.org have created a petition to ban all smoking on Spanish beaches. Having achieved almost 120,000 signatures in two weeks, Nofumadores intends to take those signatures to the Health Ministry in the first weeks of September. Spanish beaches welcome millions of people each year, therefore, the policy could have an important impact on second-hand smoking and also contribute to a reduction of toxic waste produced by cigarette butts in our oceans. The petition can be found at:

https://www.change.org/p/que-todas-las-playas-sean-espacios-libres-de-humo-de-tabaco

Brussels, 4 December 2017 – the Smoke Free Partnership, the Belgian Foundation against Cancer and the Romanian Association for Health Promotion have signed a letter, written with the support of over 35 other tobacco control and public health organisations, urging the Minister of Culture of Romania to reconsider the involvement of the tobacco industry in the organisation of the country’s participation to Europalia 2019.  

Kiev, 13 December 2017 - the Parliament of Ukraine plans to increase excise taxes on tobacco in 2018 by 30%, and approves a 7-year plan for increasing taxes on cigarettes. The team of the NGO "Life" have prepared a press release with details, benefits and challenges of the plan.

London, 18 July 2017: Action on Smoking and Health has welcomed the Government’s new Tobacco Control Plan for England, “Towards a Smokefree Generation”, published today. [1]