In questa edizione, esaminiamo la decisione degli Stati membri dell'UE di adottare una raccomandazione volta a ridurre l'esposizione al fumo passivo in alcuni spazi esterni. L'obiettivo è quello di vietare non solo le sigarette tradizionali, ma anche i prodotti del tabacco da inalazione.
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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.
00:24The European Union is proposing extending the ban to reduce exposure to second-hand smoke,
00:31a leading cause of cancers.
00:34The idea is to ban not only traditional cigarettes, but also other new ways of inhaling.
00:40U Decoded explains what could change.
00:44The 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.
01:0527% 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 think the ban on smoking is an inappropriate and strong step.
01:41If I'm standing in front of a gas station when it's raining,
01:44and next to me there's someone who's coughing at me, I don't think it's good.
01:48Tobacco is going to be banned everywhere.
01:50I've been a smoker and I've been cured.
01:53And the people who smoke, they're killing themselves.
01:56In terms of open spaces,
01:59which have nothing to do with health,
02:04such as hospitals,
02:06I don't think it makes sense to see the ban,
02:09because where do people smoke?
02:11I think it's very limited, sometimes, the bans for normal tobacco.
02:14And they leave out the vapes and things like that,
02:17which I think also bother people.
02:19I've heard comments like that.
02:21Marta Iraola covered this topic for Euronews.
02:25So these recommendations are not legally binding,
02:28they are a kind of guideline for the Member States.
02:31How would this work in practice?
02:34The Health Minister adopted the recommendations.
02:36However, because health is not an EU competence,
02:39it is now up to Member States to decide
02:42whether they apply these recommendations,
02:44up to what point do they apply them,
02:46or how to adapt them to their specific circumstances.
02:49Even in the Council, there were some Member States that abstained,
02:52like Shekia, for example,
02:54that asked for more research into normal tobacco products.
02:57There are also other countries that already have some of these measures in place.
03:01Like in Sweden, there's already a ban to not smoke
03:05in terraces of bars and restaurants.
03:07And in Lithuania, smoking is also limited to a very designated area.
03:12So now we'll have to see what measures its Member States take.
03:16And even though it's not legally binding,
03:19it was controversial during a debate at the European Parliament.
03:23Why so?
03:24The institution decided to put forward a motion for resolution.
03:29It was firstly backed by the four main political groups,
03:33SND, 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
03:43normal 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.
03:53It ended up falling completely.
03:56And how does this fit in the broader goals
04:00of cancer reduction in the European Union?
04:03Yes, this proposal is part of a broader EU's beating cancer plan
04:07that was presented back in 2021
04:10by former Health Commissioner Stella Kiriakides.
04:13This plan aims to reduce the burden of cancer across the EU.
04:17It has some initiatives such as vaccine programs or skinning programs.
04:21But one of the main goals is to achieve a tobacco-free generation,
04:25which means that by 2040 only 5% of the population across Europe
04:29would be smokers.
04:31That's why the Commission presented this proposal
04:34aiming to accelerate the pace
04:36and to include novel products that are also reaching the market nowadays.
04:40According to the World Health Organization,
04:4290% of lung cancer could be prevented by cutting out tobacco smoking.
04:47WHO believes e-cigarettes containing nicotine and other toxic substances
04:52are also very harmful to the lungs and heart.
04:55Member states receive funding through grants of up to 16 million euros
04:59to help them adopt smoke-free policies,
05:02while 18 million is available for nicotine control and addiction prevention.
05:06The European Parliament rejected the Commission's proposal
05:11on non-smoking areas abroad.
05:14My guest is Laurent Castillo,
05:17Member of the European Parliament of the European People's Party.
05:20The European Conservatives and Reformists
05:23proposed an amendment to exclude
05:26new tobacco products
05:29such as e-cigarettes and vaping.
05:33Why did your group change your mind
05:36and support this amendment?
05:38Why? First of all,
05:40before being a Member of the European Parliament,
05:42I am a doctor, I am a professor of medicine
05:45and for me scientific proof is something major.
05:49And we supported this amendment
05:52because today we were missing two things,
05:55the study of the impact on places,
05:58in particular the terraces,
06:01and then the interest of this e-cigarette.
06:05A very recent congress has just shown
06:08that e-cigarettes help patients
06:11with a tobacco disease.
06:13So for us it was something that we could hear
06:16and that we could support.
06:18The Socialist Democrats have stated
06:21that the right-wing parties, including the European Parliament,
06:24have an anti-scientific position
06:28and are subject to tobacco lobbies.
06:31Has the European Parliament changed its approach
06:34in terms of policies against tobacco?
06:38No, I don't think so.
06:40I think we support the goal of 2040,
06:43Europe without tobacco,
06:45at least with less than 5% of smokers.
06:47That was our goal,
06:49but I say it again, we need scientific proof.
06:52The tobacco lobbyists, I think they didn't even come.
06:55In any case, I didn't see any.
06:57So it was based on scientific proof
06:59and we can't impose,
07:01even if it wasn't compulsory,
07:04we can't make a recommendation
07:08based on feelings.
07:10But in any case,
07:12the Member States supported the proposal.
07:15The Europeans can expect changes
07:19on this matter quickly.
07:21Each country, and France supports it,
07:24must set up a non-smoker zone,
07:27a zone without tobacco emissions,
07:29even for e-cigarettes.
07:31So yes, we have to fight against the effects of tobacco.
07:35I'm not the doctor who will say otherwise,
07:37but in a scientific way,
07:39with a reasonable approach.
07:41The fight against tobacco and smoking is ongoing.
07:44In 2025, the European Commission is expected
07:48to propose further rules
07:50covering taxation, advertising
07:52and innovative products,
07:54all affecting tobacco enthusiasts' habits.