On the Council’s recommendation on smoke- and aerosol-free environments

–having regard to the Commission proposal of 17 September 2024 for a Council recommendation on smoke- and aerosol-free environments replacing Council Recommendation 2009/C 296/02 (COM(2024)0055),

–having regard to the Commission initiative of December 2021 entitled ‘Healthier together – EU non-communicable diseases (NCD) initiative’,

–having regard to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular SDG 3,

–having regard to the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, adopted by the 56th World Health Assembly held in Geneva, Switzerland on 21 May 2003,

–having regard to Rule 136(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

A.whereas tobacco is one of the greatest public health threats the world has ever faced, killing more than 8 million people a year worldwide;

B.whereas the market for and use of new and emerging tobacco, nicotine and non-nicotine products, such as electronic cigarettes, heated tobacco products (HTPs) and other aerosol-emitting products, is rapidly growing;

C.whereas second-hand smoke causes premature deaths and increases the risk of contracting a wide range of non-communicable diseases, including cancer, cardiovascular diseases and chronic respiratory diseases;

D.whereas smoking harms nearly every organ of the body and causes many diseases, including cancer, heart disease, strokes, type 2 diabetes and lung diseases, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease;

E.whereas second-hand smoke and aerosol exposure has a disproportionate impact on vulnerable groups, including children, pregnant women and the elderly, especially in indoor spaces;

F.whereas the goal of Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan is to create a ‘tobacco-free generation’ by 2040, where less than 5 % of the population uses tobacco, as compared with 24 % today; whereas expanding smoke-free environments is an important policy tool that has already contributed to improvements in both morbidity and mortality rates, including by motivating smokers to give up smoking and discouraging people from starting to smoke;

G.whereas, among adult respondents to the 2023 Eurobarometer survey on the attitudes of Europeans towards tobacco and related products, 3 % are current users of electronic cigarettes and 4 % are current users of heated tobacco products, as compared with 2 % in 2020;

H.whereas, according to Eurobarometer data, 54 % of current and former smokers started smoking before the age of 19, and 14 % started before the age of 15;

I.whereas Eurobarometer data indicate that 74 % of respondents have experienced people smoking in outdoor terraces and 71 % of respondents have experienced people using electronic cigarettes and heated tobacco products in the same places;

J.whereas the current Council recommendation sets out recommendations for Member States to implement the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) and thus provides them with guidance on complying with their legal commitments to protect people from second-hand smoke in all indoor workplaces and indoor public spaces, and on public transport;

K.whereas the Conference of the Parties to the WHO FCTC recognises HTPs as tobacco products, which are subject to the provisions of the WHO FCTC;

L.whereas the proposed revision to the Council recommendation on smoke-free environments (the proposal) aims to better protect people, especially children, young people and pregnant women, from the effects of second-hand smoke and aerosols and recommends extending smoke-free policies to key outdoor areas such as public playgrounds, amusement parks, swimming pools, healthcare and educational establishments, public buildings and public transport stations;

M.whereas the Commission’s proposal also recommends that Member States extend smoke-free environmental policies to new and emerging products such as HTPs and electronic cigarettes and exchange best practices and strengthen international cooperation to maximise the impact of the measures taken across the EU; whereas more scientific research is needed to provide data on the harmful health impact of new and emerging products, especially on second-hand smokers;

N.whereas the Commission’s proposal was not preceded by a new impact assessment and the Commission is relying on the impact assessment conducted prior to the 2009 proposal for a Council recommendation;

O.whereas the Commission will provide support through a direct grant of EUR 16 million from the EU4Health programme, with EUR 80 million from the Horizon Programme having already been dedicated to strengthening tobacco, nicotine and related product control and addiction prevention; whereas the Commission will also develop a prevention toolkit to support the protection of children’s and young people’s health;

P.whereas the implementation of the recommendation should be monitored regularly to measure progress towards achieving its objectives and identify gaps in the efforts to tackle smoke- and aerosol-free environments;

General

1.Reiterates its strong and continued support for the goal of creating a ‘tobacco-free generation’, as set out in the Beating Cancer Plan, and underlines the need to step up efforts to ensure that the aim of creating a tobacco-free generation by 2040 is really achieved;

2.Welcomes the proposal for an updated Council recommendation; considers the increasing use of heated tobacco products, e-cigarettes and other aerosol-emitting products in public, outdoor and indoor spaces to be a potential risk factor from a public health perspective;

3.Considers that an impact assessment should have been conducted before the proposal for an updated Council recommendation to assess the risk to public health of new and emerging products, including their impact in the hotel, restaurant and catering sectors;

4.Underlines that smoke-free environments protect the health of both non-smokers and smokers, as they prevent non-smokers from exposure and encourage smokers to reduce their consumption or give up altogether;

5.Reiterates its conclusion that electronic cigarettes could allow some smokers to gradually give up smoking; believes that the updated Council recommendation and national provisions should take this perspective into account;

6.Calls on the Member States to consider extending – as appropriate – existing public bans on smoking to new and emerging products emitting smoke or aerosols, such as heated tobacco products, e-cigarettes and other aerosol-emitting products, after considering evidence of the risks posed to non-smokers and non-users as a result of exposure to smoke and aerosols;

7.Calls on the Member States to extend smoke-free environments to key outdoor areas; considers that these could include workplaces, educational establishments, healthcare facilities and areas close to healthcare facilities, other forms of care facility, public transportation facilities – such as bus and tram stops, train stations and platforms, and airports – and recreational areas;

8.Considers that these bans should be designed in such a way as to ensure maximum protection, especially for children, young people, pregnant women and other vulnerable groups;

9.Calls on the Commission and the Member States to undertake studies on and promote further research into the risks associated with second-hand exposure to heated tobacco products and aerosols, including from e-cigarettes, and to conduct an assessment of the risks of exposure to these products as compared with exposure to tobacco smoke;

10.Expresses concern over the growing public health risks posed by the rise of black market vaping products; emphasises that a lack of control over the safety and origin of these products is jeopardising public health, and calls on the Commission and the Member States to implement improved measures to prevent their illegal entry to the market;

11.Welcomes the fact that through the EU4Health programme the Commission is providing Member States with funding to support the implementation of health policies, including the measures recommended here; does, however, have grave concerns about the EU’s long-term investment in health;

12.Calls on the Commission to propose, as soon as possible, amendments to the tobacco advertising, tobacco taxation and tobacco products directives, after reviewing scientific evaluations of the health risks related to electronic cigarettes, heated tobacco products and novel tobacco products, including an assessment of the risks of using these products as compared with consuming other tobacco products;

13.Invites the Commission to report to Parliament and the Council 4 years after the adoption of this resolution on the progress in its implementation and in implementing the Council recommendation in Member States;

14.Reiterates its conclusion that electronic cigarettes could allow some smokers to gradually give up smoking; believes that the updated Council recommendation should take this perspective into account;

15.Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Member States, the Council, the Commission and the World Health Organization.