EU countries push for outdoor smoking and vaping bans

Published December 4, 2024
Recommendation inviting member states to crack down on second-hand smoke and vapour was adopted by health ministers from the EU’s 27 nations.—AFP/file
Recommendation inviting member states to crack down on second-hand smoke and vapour was adopted by health ministers from the EU’s 27 nations.—AFP/file

BRUSSELS: EU countries agreed on Tuesday on a push for stricter anti-smoking rules, backing bans on smoking and vaping in many outdoor areas including playgrounds and cafe patios.

A recommendation inviting member states to crack down on second-hand smoke and vapour was adopted by health ministers from the bloc’s 27 nations meeting in Brussels.

“Today’s agreement is a crucial step towards our goal of a tobacco-free generation in Europe, and is critical in protecting our children and young people from the harmful effects of second-hand smoke,” said the EU’s health commissioner, Oliver Varhelyi.

The recommendation is non-binding, as health is a competence of individual member states. But it gives an indication of the policies governments could pursue in the future as they seek to reduce smoke-related deaths and ailments.

It passed with all countries voting in favour apart from Germany and Greece, which abstained, underscoring some political divisions on the issue. Last week, the European Parliament voted against a similar text. The document approved on Tuesday calls on EU countries to extend restrictions in place for cigarettes to cover “emerging products”, such as heated tobacco devices and electronic cigarettes that are increasingly popular with young people.

Governments should “provide effective protection” from aerosols emitted by these in indoor environments such as offices and public buildings.

Published in Dawn, December 4th, 2024

Opinion

Editorial

A year later
Updated 08 Feb, 2025

A year later

A war of egos has been fought between a handful of individuals at the cost of the well-being of millions of ordinary Pakistanis.
Wheat decision
08 Feb, 2025

Wheat decision

THE federal decision to stop setting the minimum support price for wheat and cease the staple’s procurement...
Dhanmondi attack
08 Feb, 2025

Dhanmondi attack

HISTORY has shown that unless states deliver development and equal rights to all, disenfranchised people can target...
Depopulating Gaza
Updated 07 Feb, 2025

Depopulating Gaza

The least feasible "solution" is the Trumpian plan for Gaza’s ethnic cleansing and occupation, which is a non-starter.
‘Pause’ in US aid
07 Feb, 2025

‘Pause’ in US aid

THE impact of the Trump administration’s decision to ‘pause’ all US foreign aid programmes, especially those...
Mobilising opposition
07 Feb, 2025

Mobilising opposition

POLITICS makes strange bedfellows. There has not, for quite some time, been a guest list as intriguing as the one...