On the 7 March 2012 the European Commission adopted 14 new written health warnings to appear on tobacco products: the EU Member States have two years to update their own list of health warnings to appear on tobacco products. In his unprecedented move of 27 March however, the Polish Minister of Health Mr Bartosz Arłukowicz refused to mandate such an update and would like to wait until the European Union decides on the Revision of the Tobacco Product Directive.
***PRESS RELEASE***
29 03 2012, Brussels
On the 7 March 2012 the European Commission adopted 14 new written health warnings to appear on tobacco products: the EU Member States have two years to update their own list of health warnings to appear on tobacco products. In his unprecedented move of 27 March however, the Polish Minister of Health Mr Bartosz Arłukowicz refused to mandate such an update and would like to wait until the European Union decides on the Revision of the Tobacco Product Directive.
The European Commission has not even released yet a draft revision of the Tobacco Product Directive. In other words, the process is likely to take years before completion – especially with the heavy lobbying from the Tobacco industry the European Commission is under.
Such refusal to sign ordinance clearly shows lack of political will and commitment towards curbing down millions of preventable deaths from tobacco smoking, as well as numbers of people starting up smoking. Notably, the legislation in force (2001/37/EC) clearly foresees periodic updating of the pictorial warnings.
EPHA calls on the Polish authorities to stop hiding behind the EU and upheld the fight against tobacco in their country. “The EU processes cannot be blamed for Poland’s lack of political will to act on tobacco prevention. The EU framework acts as a minimal standard. National action can be and should taken on top of EU minimal requirements: More than 650 000 persons die of tobacco-related illnesses every year in the European Union and exposure to second hand smoke kills at least 79 000 people. “ urged Monika Kosinska, secretary General of EPHA (European Public Health Alliance) – Europe’s leading NGO advocating for better health.
“While it has been proven that the written health warnings that appear on tobacco packages do have an impact on consumer choices, they need to be regularly updated to maximise this impact.”, further stressed Monika Kosinska, Secretary General of the European Public Health Alliance.
‘The European public health community has been advocating for strong and ambitious moves in this regard for decades now, and has been supporting work done by our colleagues in countries like Poland, only to see with huge regret a total disregard of the highest political decision-makers towards making concrete improvements in health outcomes of European citizens – here and now’., she added.
EPHA has consistently supported measures taken to address the smoking-related health crisis in Europe. In its position on the revision of the Tobacco Products Directive, EPHA advocates for large graphic and written pictorial health warnings (on both sides of tobacco packages), generic or plain packaging, as well as replacement of quantitative labelling with qualitative information on contents, emissions and quit-lines, among others.
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Note to editors
-1. Contact person: Dorota Sienkiewicz
-2. The EPHA Position on the Revision of the Tobacco Products Directive (2011/37/EU)
-3. Figures are taken from the Eurobarometer survey, May 2010
-4. EPHA is the European Platform bringing together public health organisations representing health professionals, patients groups, health promotion and disease specific NGOs, academic groupings and other health associations. Our vision is of a Europe with universal good health and well-being, where all have access to a sustainable and high quality health system: A Europe whose policies and practices contribute to health, both within and beyond its borders.
