In this edition, we look at EU Member States' decision to adopt a recommendation reducing exposure to secondhand smoke in certain outdoor spaces. The aim is to not only ban traditional cigarettes, but also inhaled tobacco products.
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00:00Smoking inside public spaces has long been banned, but outboard areas such as this playground
00:22may also soon be smoke-free.
00:23The European Union is proposing extending the ban to reduce exposure to second-hand smoke, a leading cause of cancers.
00:33The idea is to ban not only traditional cigarettes, but also other new ways of inhaling.
00:40U Decoded explains what could change.
00:43The new ban would include outdoor areas such as playgrounds and amusement parks,
00:48coffee and restaurant terraces, public transport stops and areas around health and educational establishments.
00:55Traditional tobacco products could not be consumed in these areas,
00:59as well as new products such as electronic cigarettes, heated tobacco and herbal vaporization.
01:0427% of all cancers are attributed to tobacco consumption, including exposure to second-hand smoke.
01:12So we went to hear some opinions about the new proposal.
01:16I think it's good. I'm a smoker myself, but I think it's good to have a responsibility towards children
01:22and I think it's good not to smoke on a playground.
01:25As long as other people are not affected by passive smoking,
01:30which can be the case in closed spaces,
01:33I consider smoking bans to be an inadequate and strong deterrent.
01:40If I'm standing under a parking lot when it's raining,
01:43and there's someone standing next to me coughing at me, I don't think it's good.
01:47Tobacco is going to be banned everywhere.
01:49I've been a smoker and I've been cured.
01:52The people who smoke, they're killing themselves.
01:55In terms of open spaces,
01:58which have nothing to do with health, such as hospitals,
02:04I don't think it makes sense to see the ban, because then where do people smoke?
02:09I think it's very limited, sometimes the bans for normal tobacco,
02:13and they leave out the vapes, which I think also bother people.
02:17I've heard comments like this.
02:19Marta Iraola covered this topic for Euronews.
02:23So these recommendations are not legally binding,
02:26they are a kind of guideline for the Member States.
02:29How would this work in practice?
02:32The EU Health Minister adopted the recommendations,
02:35however, because health is not an EU competence,
02:38it is now up to Member States to decide whether they apply these recommendations,
02:43up to what point do they apply them,
02:45or how to adapt them to their specific circumstances.
02:48Even in the Council, there were some Member States that abstained,
02:51like Shekia, for example, that asked for more research into normal tobacco products.
02:56There are also other countries that already have some of these measures in place.
03:00Like in Sweden, there's already a ban to not smoke in terraces of bars and restaurants,
03:06and in Lithuania, smoking is also limited to a very designated area,
03:11so now we'll have to see what measures its Members take.
03:15And even though it's not legally binding,
03:18it was controversial during a debate at the European Parliament. Why so?
03:23The institution decided to put forward a motion for resolution.
03:29It was firstly backed by the four main political groups, SND, EPP, Renew and the Greens.
03:35However, because some of the more conservative groups in the Chamber
03:40didn't want to put at the same level normal tobacco products with traditional tobacco products,
03:46they approved some amendments to that resolution.
03:50In the end, the whole thing was a bit of a mess. It ended up falling completely.
03:55And how does this fit in the broader goals of cancer reduction in the European Union?
04:02Yes, this proposal is part of a broader EU's beating cancer plan
04:06that was presented back in 2021 by former Health Commissioner Stella Kiriakides.
04:12This plan aims to reduce the burden of cancer across the EU.
04:16It has some initiatives, such as vaccine programs or skinning programs,
04:20but one of the main goals is to achieve a tobacco-free generation,
04:24which means that by 2040 only 5% of the population across Europe would be smokers.
04:30That's why the Commission presented this proposal, aiming to accelerate the pace
04:35and to include novel products that are also reaching the market nowadays.
04:39According to the World Health Organization,
04:4190% of lung cancer could be prevented by cutting out tobacco smoking.
04:46WHO believes e-cigarettes containing nicotine and other toxic substances
04:51are also very harmful to the lungs and heart.
04:54Member states receive funding through grants of up to 16 million euros
04:58to help them adopt smoke-free policies,
05:01while 18 million is available for nicotine control and addiction prevention.
05:05The European Parliament rejected the Commission's proposal on non-smoking areas abroad.
05:13My guest is Laurent Castillo, a member of the European People's Party.
05:19European conservatives and reformists have proposed an amendment
05:24to exclude new tobacco products, such as e-cigarettes and vaping.
05:32Why did your group change your mind and support this amendment?
05:37Why? First of all, before becoming a member of the European Parliament,
05:41I am a doctor, I am a medical professor,
05:44and for me, scientific proof is something major.
05:49We supported this amendment because we were missing two things today.
05:55The study of the impact on places, in particular on terraces,
06:00and the interest in e-cigarettes.
06:04A very recent congress has shown that e-cigarettes
06:09can help patients with a tobacco outbreak.
06:12So, for us, it was something we could hear about and support.
06:17Socialist Democrats have said that the right-wing parties, including the EPP,
06:23have an anti-scientific position and are subject to tobacco lobbies.
06:30Has the EPP changed its approach in terms of policies against tobacco?
06:37No, I don't think so. I think we support the goal of 2040,
06:42Europe without tobacco, at least with less than 5% of smokers.
06:46That was our goal, but I repeat, we need scientific proof.
06:51I don't think the tobacco lobbyists even came.
06:54In any case, I haven't seen any.
06:56So, it was based on scientific proof, and we can't impose,
07:00even if it wasn't compulsory,
07:03we can't make a recommendation based on feelings.
07:09But, in any case, the Member States have supported the proposal.
07:14Europeans can expect changes on this matter quickly.
07:20Each country, and France supports it, needs to set up a non-smoking zone,
07:25a zone without tobacco emissions, even for e-cigarettes.
07:30So, yes, we must fight against the effects of tobacco.
07:34I'm not the doctor who will say otherwise,
07:37but in a scientific way, with a reasonable approach.
07:40The fight against tobacco and smoking is ongoing.
07:44In 2025, the European Commission is expected to propose further rules
07:49covering taxation, advertising and innovative products,
07:53all affecting tobacco enthusiasts' habits.