By Tonio Borg, European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Policy

On 19 December 2012 the European Commission adopted its proposal to revise the Tobacco Products Directive of 2001, to reflect recent developments in the tobacco market, new scientific findings and international commitments.  

Tobacco is the single largest avoidable health risk in the EU, accounting for nearly 700 000 premature deaths each year and millions of life years spent in poor health.

This is why the EU strives to regulate tobacco products in a way that reflects their harm to health, to discourage people from taking up smoking, to help smokers to quit, to protect people from exposure to smoke and to restrict tobacco advertising and marketing.

Moreover, the European Commission plays an active role in global tobacco control, notably through the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which commits countries all over the world to act to reduce smoking-related deaths and diseases, and provides a framework for increasingly stringent tobacco control measures.

Despite considerable progress made, the number of smokers in the EU remains high – 28% of the population and 29% of young  Europeans still smoke.  Because tobacco is so addictive and 94% of smokers start smoking before they turn 25 and 70% even before 18, EU policy focuses on making tobacco products less attractive, thus discouraging young people from starting to smoke.

Tobacco products should look and taste like tobacco products and not like something else. In this context, the proposal adopted in December seeks to ensure that attractive packaging and flavourings are not used as a marketing strategy. 

Over the past 10 years, tobacco products have changed. Strong appealing flavours and creative packaging is used to make them more attractive. Also, new products are available, such as electronic cigarettes.

In addition to this, evidence has shown that some of the requirements in the current Directive mislead consumers into believing that one tobacco product is less harmful than another.

The Commission proposal therefore puts forward new and strengthened rules on how tobacco products can be manufactured, presented, and sold. It bans the use of cigarettes, roll-your-own tobacco and smokeless tobacco products with characterising flavours and makes the use of large pictorial health warnings mandatory on cigarettes and roll-your-own tobacco. It regulates cross border internet sale and foresees features to combat illicit trade. In addition, the proposal maintains the existing ban for oral tobacco; submits chewing and nasal tobacco to specific labelling and ingredient regulations; and regulates electronic and herbal cigarettes.