European Commission Recommends Stronger Measures On Smoke-free Environments To Better Protect Public Health

The new initiative recommends that Member States extend smoke-free environment policies to key outdoor areas, to better protect people in the EU, particularly children and young people.

These areas include outdoor recreational areas where children are likely to congregate such as public playgrounds, amusement parks and swimming pools; outdoor areas connected to healthcare and education premises; public buildings; service establishments; and transport stops and stations.

The Recommendation also recommends that Member States extend smoke-free environment policies to emerging products such as heated tobacco products (HTPs) and electronic cigarettes, which increasingly reach very young users. This comes after the World Health Organisation (WHO) highlighted the negative effects of exposure to second-hand emissions from these emerging products, including significant respiratory and cardiovascular problems.

The Commission is also encouraging Member States to exchange best practices and strengthen international cooperation to maximise the impact of the measures taken across the EU. The Commission will provide support, including through a direct grant worth €16 million from the EU4Health programme and €80 million from the Horizon Programme, to reinforce tobacco and nicotine control as well as addiction prevention. The Commission will also develop a prevention toolkit to support the protection of children and young people's health.

This recommendations to better protect people from exposure to second-hand smoke and aerosols are addressed to the Member States. Given that health policy is a Member State competence, they are invited to implement these recommendations through their own policies, as they see fit, i.e. taking into account their national circumstances and needs.