Belgium: towards a strengthening of the arsenal against smoking

The Health Committee of the Belgian Parliament has unanimously adopted a measure strengthening the ban on all forms of tobacco advertising from January 2021. If this measure is confirmed in plenary, the exception concerning the place of sale in force since 1999[1] will be removed. Advertising in storefronts and on displays as well as illuminated signs will be banned. Currently, advertising for tobacco products is permitted "on posters inside and on the facades of tobacconists and newsagents selling tobacco products". The complete ban on advertising in Belgium could not be voted on during the previous legislature. This time, the vote took place without a single vote missing. Similarly, subject to confirmation, smoking in vehicles in the presence of minors under the age of 18 will also be prohibited. This ban is already in force in the presence of minors under the age of 16. As the legal age for purchasing tobacco has also recently increased from 16 to 18 in Belgium, the initiators thought it logical to align the two age limits. These two measures were finally able to see the light of day thanks to the support of public health stakeholders such as the Cancer FoundationThey are part of an overall strategy including the introduction of plain packaging in the country at the beginning of 2019. The aim is to protect non-smokers, and particularly young people, since advertising has an attractive effect on people taking up smoking, and the sector has significant marketing resources. " underlines Catherine Fonck, federal deputy cdH.©Tobacco Free Generation

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[1]https://www.senate.be/www/?MIval=/publications/viewPub.html&COLL=S&LEG=4&NR=798&VOLGNR=1&LANG=fr| ©National Committee Against Smoking |