September 25 2014, Brussels – Today, the French government outlined new legislation (1) to introduce standardised packaging for cigarettes following Ireland (2) and the UK’s recent initiatives (3). If the bill is adopted, France will be taking a major step forward to protect its citizens against a habit that kills around 73,000 people every year in France (4) and 700,000 in the European Union – equivalent to the population of cities like Seville or Frankfurt.
As Peggy Maguire, EPHA President, wrote in an open letter (5) to Marisol Touraine, the French Minister for Health, “the European public health community strongly recommends the introduction of plain standardised packaging and urges the French government to follow through on its commitment.”
Evidence from Uruguay, Australia and Canada (6) shows that large pictorial health warnings encourage smokers to give up and discourage non-smokers from starting. Standardised packaging reduces tobacco consumption, one of the main risk factors of cancer, cardiovascular diseases, heart attacks, strokes and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. A systematic review of evidence demonstrates (7) that health warnings on tobacco packs are effective in discouraging young people from taking up smoking and in motivating smokers to think about stopping.
Recently published data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics indicate falling tobacco consumption in the country (8) showing the potential of plain packaging in fighting the tobacco epidemic. This suggests that plain packaging represents an effective tobacco control measure that has the potential to contribute to reductions in the harm caused by tobacco smoking now and in the future (9).
Europe’s youth has the highest rates of smoking in the world, with higher proportions of smokers among lower socio-economic groups and rising numbers of young female smokers (10). “Tobacco packaging is designed to attract different kinds of consumers. For example, coloured packaging clearly targets the youth,” said Emma Woodford, EPHA Interim Secretary General. “Standardised packaging for cigarettes provides young people with higher levels of health protection, deters future generations from smoking and encourages current smokers to give up,” added Mrs Woodford.
Earlier this year, the European Union adopted its revised Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) (11). In order to ensure a high level of protection of European people’s health, it allows EU Member States to introduce more stringent measures to regulate tobacco products, such as standardised packaging.
“The French plans to introduce standardised packaging for cigarettes will encourage other governments in the European Union to strengthen their public health measures in the fight against tobacco-related death and disease. If applied across the rest of Europe, this measure would save thousands of lives every year,” concluded Mrs Woodford.
- Notes to editors
(1) Tabac : le paquet de cigarettes «neutre» sans logo bientôt en France
(2) On 28th May 2014, Irish Minister for Health James Reilly issued a statement that the Irish Government approved the process of introducing standardised/plain packaging of tobacco products in Ireland.
(3) Standardised packaging of tobacco products: draft regulations and Plain cigarrete packing plan sees Philips Morris threaten legal action.
(4) Like many European countries, France is greatly affected by the deadly burden of tobacco consumption. 33% of the French population smoke making the introduction of standardised packaging essential if France is to achieve its goal of cutting smoking prevalence to 20%.
(5) EPHA Open letter] [Support from the European Public Health Community for plans on Plain Packaging for cigarettes in France, 5 June 2014
(6) In 2010, Uruguay implemented health warnings covering 80% of both the front and back of tobacco packages. Since then, cigarette consumption has decreased by an average of 4.3% per year. Other countries, like Australia and Canada, with comprehensive tobacco control strategies in place, have seen significant annual decreases in youth smoking.
(7) The aim of standardised packaging is to reduce the tobacco package’s visual identity and appeal as an advertisement for the product. The Standardised packaging of tobacco – Independent review has also found that there is very strong evidence that exposure to tobacco advertising and promotion increases the likelihood of children taking up smoking. Industry documents show that tobacco packaging has for decades been designed, in the light of market research, with regard to what appeals to target groups.
(8) According to data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, consumption of tobacco fell 4.9 percent during the year that ended March 2014 and only clipped a small 0.1 percentage point from Australia’s gross domestic product in the first quarter of 2014.
(9) The Plain Tobacco Packaging: A Systematic Review in Australia found that plain packaging would reduce the attractiveness and appeal of tobacco products, increase the noticeability and effectiveness of health warnings and messages, and reduce the use of design techniques that may mislead consumers about the harmfulness of tobacco products.
(10) “Women and smoking in the EU,” European Institute of Women’s Health briefing, 2013.
(11) The Council approves EU tobacco legislation fitted to the twenty-first century, 14 March 2014
- Contact information
Javier Delgado Rivera, EPHA Communications Coordinator at javier@epha.org or +32(0) 2 230 3076.
