ECO Response to Consultation on Smoke-free Environments

In July, the European Cancer Organisation (ECO) responded to a European Commission consultation on the update of Smoke-free environments Council recommendation.

 In discussion with our Prevention, Early Detection and Screening Network member societies, ECO developed a draft response to the consultation. Key points of our response included:

• Supporting the Commission’s proposals of adding new areas to the Recommendation, including schools and playgrounds.
• Promoting the addition of other public spaces within the EU’s Recommendations on smoke-free environments, including those areas of the public realm in which families and children are present, such as healthcare facilities, public parks, beaches, sports stadia and vehicles.
• Including e-cigarettes and emissions from heated tobacco products within the scope of the smoke-free environment recommendations
• Suggesting that the next revision of the Tobacco Products Directive give consideration to including legal or other provisions to further support the achievement of smoke-free environments
• The inclusion of a monitoring mechanism within the revised Recommendations to measure Member State accordance with the EU recommendations on smoke-free environments.

Our final response is available here.