The seventh issue of the Spotlight on the FCTC focuses on Article 14 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), which covers tobacco dependence and cessation.

At the fourth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP4) to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control which took place in Punta del Este, Uruguay, 15-20 November 2010, guidelines for implementation of Article 14 FCTC were adopted.

In light of the adoption of the guidelines, the Smoke Free Partnership launched the seventh instalment of the ‘Spotlight on the FCTC’ series on 29 November at the European Parliament evening dinner debate, ‘Quitting: the way forward’, hosted by Marian Harkin MEP, with Commissioner John Dalli giving the keynote speech.

The timing of the guidelines coincides perfectly with the possible revision of the 2001 Tobacco Products Directive. With the adoption of the Article 14 guidelines, it is the role of the European Commission, as a Party to the FCTC, to ensure that the legislative proposal for a revision of the Directive includes the requirement of quitlines on all packs. The European Parliament and the Council of the European Union will also have a role in supporting the addition of mandatory quitlines on all packs in the revised Directive.