SMOKE FREE PARTNERSHIP UPDATES

It is high time to beat plastic pollution, including cigarette filters.

The following article is authored by the Framework Convention Alliance (FCA) and was originally published on the FCA website. The article was produced following the European Development Days (EDD) 2021 where FCA and SFP co-organised a session titled 'Harnessing tobacco control’s contributions to a greener economy'.

Brussels, 29 June 2021: The MEPs Against Cancer Interest Group, the MEP Heart Group, the MEP Lung Health Group and the Smoke Free Partnership held a special policy dialogue on ‘Europe’s path to the Tobacco Products Directive 3.0’ on Tuesday 29 June 2021 from 11:00 – 13:00 CEST. 

A RECORDING OF THE SESSION IS AVAILABLE HERE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJIyzEJ4B4w

Brussels, 23 June 2021: Our newly published paper contains SFP’s policy proposals for the revision of the EU Tobacco Tax Directive 2011/64/EU.

The Framework Convention Alliance and the Smoke Free Partnership will be co-hosting a brainstorming lab session at the upcoming European Development Days on 15 June at 16:00 CET.

The Smoke Free Partnership and the European Network for Smoking and Tobacco Prevention with the support of the World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe are hosting a World No Tobacco Day 2021 conference on 8 June 2021 (14:00 CET). The conference “Tobacco free policy-making for a tobacco free Europe” will focus on exposing, discussing, and counteracting tobacco industry efforts against tobacco control progress.

Brussels, 31 May 2021 – SFP welcomes the implementation report on the EU Tobacco Products Directive and calls for a swift and efficient revision of its provisions, to help achieve the ambition for a  tobacco free generation.

Brussels, 20 May 2021: SFP welcomes the implementation report on the EU Tobacco Products Directive and calls for a swift and efficient review of its provisions, which will further help a decrease in tobacco use.

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.

The European Commission consultation focused on updating the rules for tobacco and alcohol bought abroad and improving the misuse of existing cross-border arrangements for such purchases.

Brussels, 15 March 2021: SFP provided a reply to a public consultation on a roadmap on 'Fighting organised crime – EU strategy for 2021-25 '. Illicit trade of tobacco is a major source of revenue for Organised Crime Groups.

This year, the European Commission will introduce a proposal for a Directive on mandatory human rights and environmental due diligence for companies as part of its 2021 work plan and the European Green Deal. Under the initiative of the Belgian Alliance for a Smoke Free Society, Unfairtobacco, ASH US, and the Smoke Free Partnership, tobacco control stakeholders came together to work on this important issue.

Brussels, 3 February 2021: Smoke Free Partnership (SFP) welcomes the launch of Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan and its ambitious goals towards a Tobacco Free Generation by 2040. The EU shows ambition and leadership in tobacco control strategies, becoming the largest jurisdiction and one of only a handful around the world with a stated target to end tobacco use.

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).

The European Commission roadmap focused on updating the rules for tobacco and alcohol bought abroad and improving the misuse of existing cross-border arrangements for such purchases.

With 2020 almost behind us, we are sharing our last newsletter for the year, in its special, holiday edition, with highlights of the year, as well as key materials and events. 

Brussels, 17 December: the latest, 2020 edition, of the SFP infographic on tobacco industry presence in the EU policy-making environment is out.

Brussels, 8 December 2020: the European Commission opened two roadmaps on tobacco taxation for feedback from relevant stakeholders.

December 2020: In light of the ongoing developments on Horizon Europe and its Mission on Cancer, the purpose of this document is to highlight the role of research for tobacco control, especially considering the crucial importance of tobacco control measures for public health. While the document focuses on Horizon Europe, due to the nature of tobacco as a commercial determinant for health the provided recommendations would mostly apply to its Cancer Mission. 

December 2020: Following our May 2020 publication 'EU tracking and tracing system fully applicable for cigarettes and roll-your-own tobacco', available here, read more on SFP's main concerns on the status quo.

Brussels, 7 December 2020: Read the latest policy updates of the Smoke Free Partnership and the Coalition partners.

December 2020: The new SFP paper on the Investment Case for the Global Strategy focuses on outlining different pathways for funding, as well as on examples of existing ways to support implementation.