Addictive and harmful substances and behaviours

[EPT] Tobacco - Directive (Revision) - European Commission Proposal Revision of The Tobacco Products Directive (3 May 2013)

European Commission Proposal Revision of The Tobacco Products Directive. The Tobacco Products Directive (2001/37/EC) regulates the manufacture, presentation and sale of tobacco products in the EU 27 Member States. This notably covers the use of health warnings on packs, the prohibition of descriptions such as ’mild’ or ’light’, the maximum tar, nicotine and carbon monoxide yields, and the prohibition of the sale of tobacco for oral use. In February 2012, the (...)

Unremitting smoking rates among people with mental health conditions in the UK

According to "Smoking and Health", the latest report published by the Royal College of Physicians and the Royal College of Psychiatrists, smoking in mental health patients is being neglected by the UK National Health Service, which results in a deterioration of the patients’ quality of life and in a substantial increase of healthcare costs. The joint report produced by the Royal College of Physicians, an EPHA member, and the Royal College of Psychiatrists on Smoking and Mental (...)

EPHA Working Group on Tobacco policy - March 2013

The EPHA Working Group on Tobacco met on 19 March 2013 to discuss EPHA’s position on the Revised Tobacco Products Directive. On March 19 2013, the Secretariat met with its members to discuss EPHA’s position on the Revised Tobacco Products Directive and the future advocacy strategy to adopt in the coming months. Members that could not attend the meeting had the opportunity to dial in, which brought additional participants to what proved to be a very productive meeting. For the (...)

European Commission proposes €3.9 million to help former tobacco workers in Austria

Tobacco is the single largest avoidable health risk in the EU, accounting for nearly 700 000 premature deaths each year. Around 50% of smokers die prematurely (on average 14 years earlier). This initiative is an example of how EU funds can be used to help former tobacco farmers and workers to find a new job and mitigate the social impacts of career change. The European Commission has proposed providing Austria with €3.9 million from the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF) to (...)

[e-petition - UK] Minimum unit price for alcohol will save lives

The British Medical Association has launched an e-petition to call on the UK government not to backtrack on its plans to introduce minimum unit pricing (MUP). MUP is shown in models and in practice in Canada to help reduce the harm associated with the heaviest forms of drinking - and in effect will eliminate the bottom end supermarket and low brand lagers and ciders that are bought in high volume and consumed by the most vulnerable parts of our populations. With this e-petition, the (...)

[Press Release] Out of touch - European Parliament backs tobacco subsidies & votes an agriculture policy unfriendly to public health

Brussels, 13 March – The European Public Health & Agriculture Consortium (EPHAC) is disappointed by the European Parliament’s approval of coupling subsidies to tobacco production. Tobacco should not have a place in the 2014-2020 EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). With this move, the European Parliament (EP) wants to inject taxpayer’s money into a toxic crop that causes nearly 700,000 annual deaths (1) in the EU. Today’s vote did very little to fix all that is (...)

UK doctors ask for taxing fizzy drinks and ban junk food ads to act against obesity epidemic

The Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, representing nearly every doctor in the United Kingdom, calls on unhealthy foods to be addressed with anti-tobacco-like campaigns as current measures are clearly failing. The UK is the "fat man" of Europe. This phrase, which reflects the shocking reality that one quarter of UK inhabitants are obese and up to one third are overweight, is the starting point of Measuring Up: the medical profession’s prescription for the nation’s obesity (...)

Protection from second hand smoke improved, but still too high

A report by the European Commission confirms that the exposure to second hand smoke has decreased considerably since 2009, although the differences among countries are still important. In 2009 the European Commission adopted the Council Recommendation on Smoke-Free Environments, which called on Member States to "adopt and implement laws to fully protect their citizens from exposure to tobacco smoke in enclosed public places, workplaces and public transport" no later than November 2012. (...)

EPHA Report on the Impact of the Crisis on the Population Mental Health

Economic crises such as the one Europe has been going through since late 2007 have a considerable impact on the society as a whole. Sky-rocking unemployment, the use and abuse of unhealthy substances, and mental illnesses are just some of the areas EPHA looked at in its just-released "Report on the impact of the crisis on the population mental health". “The economic crisis should not turn into a health crisis”, John Dalli, ex EU Commissioner in charge of health and consumer (...)

[Lunch debate] The Battle against Tobacco, Cancer and Heart Disease, Feb. 19, European Parliament (Brussels)

The battle against tobacco, cancer and heart disease - Tuesday, 19 February 2013, 12:00-15:00. Jointly organised by the European Parliament MEP Heart Group and MAC (MEP Against Cancer). [Press Statement] In the fight against Tobacco, Cancer & Heart Disease, the new Tobacco Directive is a battle that cannot be lost. Programme - The Battle against tobacco, cancer and heart disease. February 19th – EP (Brussels) Report - The Battle against tobacco, cancer and heart disease The (...)