EU cuts funding for tobacco control

Budget cuts to the European Plan Against Cancer could jeopardize smoking reduction targets. This decision comes after the postponement of the preparation and adoption of a European text on smoke-free spaces, while two European directives on tobacco and its taxation are at a standstill.

A decision of the European Council of 1 February 2024 provides for the reassignment of one billion euros of the 5.3 billion euros of the EU4Health programme to other priorities.

Several European health projects are under threat, including the European Plan against Cancer, but also the Pharmaceutical Strategy, the European Health Data Space (EHDS) and the fight against health inequalities.[1]. The expected cuts to the European Cancer Plan are expected to affect anti-smoking programs and jeopardize smoking reduction targets. However, smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in Europe and remains a major source of cancer.

A decision that follows the postponement of the recommendation on smoke-free spaces

This decision came the day after an event organised by the European Commission reaffirming the need for the European Plan Against Cancer, in particular to reduce inequalities in access to cancer care between European countries.[2].

On the same 31 January 2024, in parallel with this event, the European Commission announced a new postponement of the revision of the 2009 recommendations on smoke-free spaces, scheduled for the end of 2023. This postponement has caused strong emotion in the health sector. A coalition of health stakeholders considered it as "a distressing error of judgment" not to include the prevention of the use of new tobacco products in the European Plan against cancer[3]Belgian Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke, for his part, said that the health of Europeans had been sold off to a powerful industry.

The revisions of two other key directives, one on tobacco products (TPD) and the other on tobacco taxation (TTD), have also been repeatedly delayed, effectively slowing the implementation of anti-smoking measures. The tobacco industry's influence over the Commission and certain Member States has led to this gap between declarations and actions.

Keywords: European Cancer Plan, European Commission, anti-smoking plan

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[1] Holmgaard Mersh A, Euractiv's Health Hub, Health brief: Fundamental health questions left unanswered, Euractiv, published February 7, 2024, accessed February 9, 2024.

[2] Europe's Beating Cancer Plan at the heart of a strong European Health Union, European Commission, accessed 9 February 2024.

[3] ESMO/ERS/ECL/EPHA, Health groups appealed to European Commission's failure to release Council recommendation on smoke-free environments, published January 31, 2024, accessed February 9, 2024.

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