Anti-smoking fight: Belgium is making progress

The European Cancer Leagues Association has published a report on the state of public anti-smoking policies implemented in 35 European countries and in Israel.[1]The document proposes a classification of the latter according to their state of progress in the implementation of essential public policies at the national level:

• Price increases on tobacco products through increased taxes;
• Ban on smoking in public areas and at work;
• Better information through campaigns to disseminate the results of scientific research on the dangers of tobacco;
• A complete ban on all forms of tobacco marketing: advertising and sponsorship, promotion, including at points of sale of tobacco products,
• The existence of visible health messages affixed to cigarette packets and other tobacco products with the adoption of neutral packaging;
• The establishment of assistance for smokers to quit, in particular through easier access to monitoring and medical treatment.

This latest assessment, published in February 2020 and covering 2018 data, also included measures to combat the illicit trade in tobacco products and the protection of public policies from interference by the tobacco industry. Belgium comes in tenth place in this ranking, due to the efforts made by the country, which have been further strengthened since the study was conducted. The country has thus adopted a ban on smoking in cars in the presence of minors, as well as plain packaging, the removal of tobacco advertising at points of sale, alongside smoking bans in places open to the public, including cafés and restaurants, in force since 2011. However, the fight against smoking remains a major public health priority for the country: It is worth remembering that smoking is responsible for the avoidable premature death of nearly 19,000 people each year.[2]. Read also: Belgium: towards a strengthening of the arsenal against smoking ©Generation Without Tobacco

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[1] Association of European Cancer Leagues, “The tobacco Control Scale 2019 in Europe”, 2020 https://www.tobaccocontrolscale.org/TCS2019.pdf [2] The Tobacco Atlas, Country Sheet: Belgium https://tobaccoatlas.org/country/belgium/ | ©National Committee Against Smoking |