Ireland and the UK are paving the way for a Europe free of tobacco. This form of leadership is crucial in the light of the recently adopted Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) which aims to strengthen European tobacco control policy.
The UK’s House of Lords has approved a bill to standardise cigarette packaging in England from May 2016, making it the second country in the European Union to introduce such a law after Ireland and the fourth in the world (after Australia and Uruguay).
In 2014, the European Union adopted the revised TPD. To ensure a high level of protection for the health of European citizens as required by the EU Treaty, it allows national government to introduce more stringent measures to regulate tobacco products, such as standardised packaging.
Based on the latest evidence on tobacco packaging as well as the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) guidelines, the European public health community strongly recommends the introduction of plain standardised packaging. Increasing the size of warning messages enhances the effectiveness of the warning amongst both young and adult smokers and non-smokers.
Tobacco packaging is designed to attract different kinds of consumers, such as young people for instance. Europe’s youth has the highest rates of smoking in the world. A systematic review of the evidence shows that health warnings on tobacco packs are effective in discouraging young people from taking up smoking as well as in motivating smokers to quit.
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Plain Packaging and the burden of chronic diseases
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Europe is still paying a high price for slow action on tobacco, both in economic costs to health services and the economy as well as severe harm to health. Smoking has devastating consequences; including chronic diseases such as cancer and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), heart attacks and premature death. Smoking always has a severe impact on the health and well-being of the smoker (both active and passive). By reducing tobacco consumption through the introduction of standardised packaging the burden of chronic disease will be reduced.
The estimated annual cost of tobacco to the European economy is of more than half a trillion euros, or about 4.6% of the EU’s GDP. 700 000 EU citizens die prematurely every year because of tobacco consumption and close to 12 million people in the 28 countries of the EU suffer from smoking-related diseases.
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Plain packaging elsewhere in Europe
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Irish and British efforts are serving as an example for the rest of Europe:
In France, President Hollande launched the 3rd National Cancer Plan (2014-2019), highlighting that cancer is the most preventable cause of death in France. Tobacco has a proven causal link to cancer, yet 33% of the population still smokes. The French government’s recent announcement of their intention to introduce standardised packaging for cigarettes is an important step forward in the fight against the tobacco epidemic.
Norway’s health minister announced on 9 February a public consultation on plain packaging for tobacco products. The goal is to prevent tobacco use among children and young people. The proposal would standardise all tobacco packaging by specifying mandatory colours, as well as specifications concerning other package design elements. The manufacturer’s logo and other design elements, such as colour, signs or symbols will not be allowed either on the packaging or on the products.
Although the adoption of a revised TPD, including Plain Packaging legislation, is crucial there are still additional ways in which national governments should continue to fight the tobacco epidemic, including increasing tobacco taxation which is shown to be effective.
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EPHA related articles
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- Open letter for the attention of Mme Marisol Touraine, Minister for Health
- Press release] [Ireland leads the way in Europe in tackling the tobacco epidemic
- Press release] [France is on the right track in the fight against tobacco epidemic in Europe
- EPHA Open letter] [EPHA contribution to the consultation on the Public Health Bill – Support from the European Public Health Community to the General Scheme on Plain Packaging in Ireland
- EPHA explainer] [Lost in co-decision? A case study on the Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) & e-cigarettes
