Tobacco Atlas 2020: Overview of tobacco control in the European Union

With the Tobacco Atlas Germany 2020, the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) presented in December 2020, for the third time since 2015, a summary of current data and facts on tobacco consumption in the European Union and on the implementation of tobacco control measures[1].

The data used for this atlas refer to the 2019 tobacco control survey, to the legislation in force in the countries on January 1, 2020 and to tobacco prices in 2018.

An arsenal of effective measures to reduce consumption

The report details effective tobacco control policies that demonstrate evidence that reduce smoking prevalence:

• Health warnings on cigarette packs and plain packaging help prevent young people from starting to smoke, motivate smokers to quit, and reduce the risk of relapse for former smokers;
• Combined bans on advertising, promotion and sponsorship. To be effective, advertising bans must be comprehensive, covering all forms of advertising and promotion and all tobacco products;
• The expansion of tobacco-free/smoke-free spaces;
• Significant tax increases: a tax increase of 10% leads on average to a reduction in tobacco consumption of 4% in high-income countries and 5% in low-income countries[2];
• Good support for quitting aids: only 10 EU countries offer (at least partial) support for nicotine replacement therapies.

The data also show that tobacco policies must include all tobacco and nicotine products (e-cigarettes, heated tobacco, rolling tobacco, cigars, shisha tobacco, etc.), particularly at the level of taxation to avoid consumption transfers.

Measures poorly implemented in different countries, the EU must continue its efforts

In the EU, tobacco control continues to face intense lobbying from the industry, which varies in intensity depending on the country, and which has systematically opposed the implementation of these public health measures.[3]The provisions in Europe, presented in the Atlas, are not always correctly applied in all countries.

In terms of taxation, only 18 Member States have reached the highest level of tobacco taxation implementation according to the WHO definition. Despite the objectives set by European Directive 2011/64/EU on the taxation of tobacco products, these taxes vary considerably within the Union, as the taxation of tobacco products remains the responsibility of Member States.

Only seven EU Member States and seven other countries in the WHO European Region have implemented comprehensive smoking-free legislation in enclosed collective spaces, without exception and without the provision of designated smoking rooms, thus adopting the good practices recommended by the World Health Organization.

In terms of packaging, all Member States now place combined text and visual warnings on cigarette and other tobacco product packs, applying the best practices adopted under the treaty. Only seven countries in the WHO European Region have introduced plain packaging.

Smoking prevalence remains high in Europe

Smoking prevalence remains high in Europe. In 2017, 301% of the population aged 15 and over smoked. Variations are significant: from 51% in Sweden to 451% in Hungary. Although the proportion of smokers in Member States fell by an average of almost 191% between 2006 and 2017, there are very large disparities between countries: in Sweden and the United Kingdom, the proportion of smokers fell by more than half, while in France, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, and Slovenia, it decreased only very slightly or even increased.

Similarly, in 2018, approximately 17% of 15-year-olds in the European Union had smoked at least one cigarette in the past 30 days. This rate ranged from 10% in Ireland, the United Kingdom, and Sweden to 26% in Bulgaria and even 31% in Lithuania. In France, the rate was 16%. Many EU countries are now committed to achieving a tobacco-free generation in the coming years, highlighting the importance of having a sustained and ongoing tobacco control policy to achieve this.

Keywords: Tobacco control, European Union, smoking, Tobacco Atlas ©Generation Without Tobacco

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[1] German Cancer Research Center (ed.) (2020) Tobacco Control in Europe. Excerpt from the Tobacco Atlas Germany 2020. Heidelberg, Germany [2] Bader, Pearl et al. “Effects of tobacco taxation and pricing on smoking behavior in high risk populations: a knowledge synthesis.” International journal of environmental research and public health flight. 8.11 (2011): 4118-39. doi:10.3390/ijerph8114118 [3] Roberto Bertollini, Sofia Ribeiro, Kristina Mauer-Stender, Gauden Galea, Tobacco control in Europe: a policy review, European Respiratory Review 2016 25: 151-157; DOI: 10.1183/16000617.0021-2016 National Committee Against Smoking |