ENSP SURVEY on the Application  
of the Tobacco Products Directive
and
Tobacco Advertising Directive

European Network for Smoking and Tobacco Prevention (ENSP) invites Tobacco Control Experts from the European Union to complete the SURVEY on the status of the TPD (Tobacco Products directive 2014/40/EU) and TAD (Tobacco Advertising Directive 2003/33/EC) application in the EU Member States.  

With the ongoing official review of the TPD, ENSP is preparing its own report on the status of the Directives' implementation and application. To that end ENSP Secretariat has launched a Questionnaire to be filled by October 5, 2020.

ENSP Next: YOUTH CONTEST
Last chance to participate!

Now is your last chance to participate in the ENSP Next Youth Contest that will close on Thursday, 15 October 2020, at 23:59 (GMT+1). Enter the competition, become a part of "ENSP Next – Towards a tobacco free generation" and win 3 prizes!

Tobacco Treatment Delivery in cancer patients in Europe - The importance of quitting smoking after a cancer diagnosis

Series of Webinars on the Role of Smoking Cessation in Cancer Treatment

Great progress has been recorded in cancer care during the past years. Although, it is well established that approximately 30% of cancer deaths are directly caused by smoking and there are evidence-based interventions including behavioural therapy available which can double or triple the rates of successful quitting, they are often neglected and are not incorporated in cancer treatment and recovery.

Continuing smoking after diagnosis affects the treatment outcomes, increases the mortality rates after treatment and the recurrence of cancer while increases the risk of a new cancer. On the other hand, quitting smoking after the cancer diagnosis can improve the treatment outcomes, prolong survival, and reduce the risk for new cancers.

All the above mentioned suggest that tobacco treatment delivery in cancer patients from the early stages of diagnosis is a unique opportunity to improve the effectiveness of treatment and avoid new cancer development in the future.

Public consultation on preliminary Opinion
on e-cigarettes

The main purpose of the scientific opinion is to assist the Commission in assessing the most recent scientific and technical information on e-cigarettes. Findings presented in the scientific opinion will feed into the Commission’s reporting obligations under Article 28 of the Tobacco Products Directive (TPD), and will also help the Commission in assessing the potential need for legislative amendments under the Directive or other regulatory/enforcement measures. The assessment includes and addresses the role of e-cigarettes, looking into potential impacts on the EU context, in relation to:

1. their use and adverse health effects (i.e.; short- and long-term effects), risks associated with their technical design and chemical composition (e.g.; number and levels of toxicants) and with the existing EU regulatory framework (e.g. nicotine concentration and limits);
2. their role as a gateway to smoking/the initiation of smoking (particularly focusing on young people) and
3. their role in cessation of traditional tobacco smoking.

Read more about the public consultation...
Guidelines for submissions...
Latest updates from the scientific committee...

EUREST-PLUS ITC Supplement is now available!

Online symposium
Incentives for smoking cessation

On October 21st, ITC Netherlands are organizing an online symposium about financial incentives for smoking cessation. Topics such as socioeconomic differences in smoking or financial incentives for smoking cessation in the workplace will be tackled. Additionally, three other guest speakers will speak about incentives for smoking cessation.

Tobaco-free Slovenia brochure was launched!

Contributing to the tobacco cessation fight, Slovenia wants to reduce the number of chronic non-communicable diseases by a third by 2025, and to become a tobacco-free country by 2040. According to them, by that time, less than 5% of adults will smoke , and pregnant women and young people will generally refuse to smoke. The strategy FOR A TOBACCO-FREE SLOVENIA 2019-2030, which was put up for public discussion in the summer of 2019, also includes these steps. 

 

The brochure aims at offering information on all these topics. It was published by a voluntary non-profit coalition of non-governmental organisations working in the area of public health, which is also a member of ENSP: the Slovenian Health Coalition for Public Health, Environment and Tobacco Control.

Read the full brochure...

WHO Tobacco Knowledge Summary on Tobacco and Coronary Heart Disease

Every year, 1.9 million people die from tobacco-induced heart disease, according to a new brief (WHO Tobacco Knowledge Summary on Tobacco and Coronary Heart Disease) recently released by the World Health Organization, World Heart Federation and the University of Newcastle, Australia ahead of World Heart Day, marked on 29 September. Together with the press release, an accompanying animated video was published to mark the occasion and help spread the word.

Read more...

#TobaccoControlTactics: Is the Big Tobacco Phoenix Rising from the Ashes?

Russia increases tobacco excise by 20% in the context of COVID-19 pandemic 

So the the rate of excise duty on cigarettes next year will be 2359 rubles per 1000 pieces; for other tobacco it will increase from 3172 rubles per kg to 3806 rubles. The excise tax on electronic cigarettes and vapes will also increase (from 50 to 60 rubles per piece).  

As the representative of the Ministry of Finance explained, the unscheduled increase in excise taxes should allow the state to fulfill all its obligations in the context of budgetary expenditures due to the pandemic.  

The Finance Ministry’s plan has already been approved by the commission on legislative activity, as well as the government. According to RBC, since the beginning of 2020, cigarette excise taxes have brought 372 billion rubles to the budget. Over the year, a replenishment of 586.5 billion is expected.  

Read more [RU]... 

Leadership Summit on Tobacco Control: Navigating change

The Secretariat of the 18th World Conference on Tobacco or Health (WCTOH) announced that it will host the first Leadership Summit on Tobacco Control as a virtual event from 6-7 May 2021.

 

The Leadership Summit on Tobacco Control will ensure that the global conversation continues to find solutions to the tobacco epidemic, which kills eight million people each year. This is crucially needed as the COVID-19 pandemic brings new urgency to reducing tobacco use.

The Summit will bring together heads of state and national and subnational governments, as well as prominent global health leaders, the scientific community and civil society. However, tobacco control advocates from any background and sector will be encouraged to join and participate in sessions.

 

Under the theme 'Navigating Change', conversations will focus around the changing landscape of tobacco, the emergence of new nicotine and tobacco products like e-cigarettes, and the tobacco industry's attempt to re-brand itself as part of the solution to the tobacco epidemic – whilst continuing to aggressively market its traditional products in lower- and middle-income countries, where 80 percent of tobacco-caused deaths occur.