Reports call on national governments to protect people from tobacco smoke

4.54.25pm UTC (GMT +0000) Tue 12th Oct 2004

Liberal Democrat Euro-MP Liz Lynne hosted a press conference in Brussels today to officially launch two new reports, drawn up by the European Network for Smoking Prevention (ENSP) on the effects of smoking in EU countries.

The first report was co-ordinated by Luk Joossens of the Belgian Tobacco Coalition entitled "Effective tobacco control policies in 28 European Countries" It aims to provide an overview of effective tobacco control policies and to quantify the efforts of countries using a scale provided by a panel of experts.

However, Liz Lynne MEP said the purpose of the scoring system is not to praise or condemn national control policies but to encourage countries to exchange best practice on tobacco control policies.

"The points system laid out in Luk Joossens report will be an essential tool for the different countries to able to monitor the progress of the framework convention on tobacco control in the 28 countries which is currently in the ratification process.

"The report calls on policy makers to provide more funding for the evaluation of tobacco control policies in Europe as well as for investment in tobacco control programmes. They also called for standard data relating to tobacco use throughout Europe."

The second report conducted by Professor Anton Kunst of Erasmus University in Rotterdam called "socio-economic inequalities in smoking in the European Union" is based on a study of 14 countries. The report concludes that tobacco use is increasingly concentrated within the poorest in society.

The reports make recommendations to maximise the effectiveness of legislation to protect people from tobacco smoke in countries where it already exists, and calls for appropriate legislation in countries where none is currently in place.

On the second report Liz Lynne MEP said:

"As someone with severe asthma this is a subject that is dear to my heart. Tobacco is one of the leading preventable causes of death and disability among adults in Europe.

"The report confirms that tobacco consumption is increasingly concentrated in the poorest groups in society. Reaching these groups and reducing smoking rates amongst the poorest is therefore a vital task for politicians, civil servants and those who influence public opinion at both national and EU level.

"Much has been done at an EU and member state level to encourage people to give up smoking. From larger and more graphic warnings on cigarette packets to a ban on tobacco advertising.

"Last year I called for bars and restaurants in the UK to be given one last chance to provide smoke free areas or face a ban. Ireland and Norway have already introduced a ban on smoking in public places and Sweden is set to follow next year. Already the report shows a 7% decrease in sales of cigarettes in Ireland in the first 6 months of the ban."

ENDS

Notes To Editors:

For more information or to view the reports please visit www.ensp.org

Liz Lynne MEP is an anti-smoking campaigner and long-term asthma sufferer.

The European Network for Smoking Prevention (ENSP) convened a panel of international researchers and tobacco control experts to agree on the allocation of points on proven effective tobacco control policies. The panel came to an agreement on the allocation of points (points out of 100) under the coordination of world tobacco control expert Luk Joossens.

· Price/taxation policy (30 points)

· Workplace/public place smoking bans (22 points),

· Overall tobacco control budget (15 points),

· Advertising ban (13 points),

· Labelling/health warning (10 points),

· Tobacco dependence treatment (10 points).