合法博彩网站

叠10鈥�0175/2024

European 合法博彩网站 resolution on the Council鈥檚 recommendation on smoke- and aerosol-free environments

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合法博彩网站,

鈥�听having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular Article 168 thereof,

鈥�听having regard to Directive 2014/40/EU of the European 合法博彩网站 and of the Council of 3听April听2014 on the approximation of the laws, regulations and administrative provisions of the Member States concerning the manufacture, presentation and sale of tobacco and related products and repealing Directive 2001/37/EC[1],

鈥�听having regard to Regulation (EU) 2021/522 of the European 合法博彩网站 and of the Council of 24听March听2021 establishing a Programme for the Union鈥檚 action in the field of health (鈥楨U4Health Programme鈥�) for the period 2021-2027, and repealing Regulation (EU) No 282/2014[2],

鈥�听having regard to its resolution of 26听November听2009 on smoke-free environments[3],

鈥�听having regard to its resolution of 16听February听2022 on strengthening Europe in the fight against cancer 鈥� towards a comprehensive and coordinated strategy of 16 February 2022[4],

鈥�听having regard to its resolution of 23听November听2022 on prevention, management and better care of diabetes in the EU on the occasion of World Diabetes Day[5],

鈥�听having regard to its resolution of 13听December听2023 on non-communicable diseases (NCDs)[6],

鈥�听having regard to the Commission communication of 3听February听2021 entitled 鈥楨urope鈥檚 Beating Cancer Plan鈥� (),

鈥�听having regard to the Commission proposal of 17听September听2024 for a Council recommendation on smoke- and aerosol-free environments replacing Council Recommendation 2009/C 296/02 (),

鈥�听having regard to the Commission initiative launched in December听2021 entitled 鈥楬ealthier together 鈥� EU non-communicable diseases (NCD) initiative鈥�,

鈥�听having regard to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, in particular Goal 3 thereof,

鈥�听having regard to the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC), a treaty adopted by the 56th World Health Assembly held in Geneva, Switzerland on 21听May听2003[7],

鈥�听having regard to Rule 136(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

A.听whereas health protection is one of the fundamental rights of EU citizens and everyone has the right to live in a safe environment;

B.听whereas the tobacco epidemic is one of the biggest public health threats the world has ever faced, killing more than 8听million people a year around the world[8]; whereas every year, the tobacco industry costs the world 600听million trees, 200听000 hectares of land, 22听billion tonnes of water and 84听million tonnes of CO2[9];

C.听whereas the market and use of new and emerging tobacco, nicotine and non-nicotine products, such as electronic cigarettes, heated tobacco products (HTPs) and other aerosol-emitting products, is rapidly growing and poses a public health risk[10];

D.听whereas second-hand smoke causes premature deaths and increases the risk of developing a wide range of non-communicable diseases, including cancer, cardiovascular diseases and chronic respiratory diseases; whereas second-hand aerosols from new and emerging products emit fine and ultrafine particles, posing a health risk not only to the user, but also to bystanders; whereas environments contaminated by smoke and aerosols pose health risks, in particular to vulnerable people;

E.听whereas emerging products contain dangerous chemical substances that create aerosols with toxic and carcinogenic residues, such as formaldehyde, acetaldehyde and acrolein[11];

F.听whereas smoking harms nearly every organ in the body and causes many diseases, including cancer, heart disease, strokes, lung diseases, type 2 diabetes and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease;

G.听whereas second-hand smoke and aerosol exposure have a disproportionate impact on vulnerable groups, including children, pregnant women and the elderly;

H.听whereas Europe鈥檚 Beating Cancer Plan听sets the goal of creating a 鈥榯obacco-free generation鈥� by 2040, where听less than 5听% of the population uses tobacco compared to 24听% today; whereas expanding smoke-free environments is an important policy tool that has already contributed to improvements in rates of both mortality and morbidity, including by motivating smokers to quit and discouraging people from taking up smoking;

I.听whereas a concerning aspect of the uptake of new and emerging tobacco, nicotine and related products is their appeal among young people and, in some cases, even children;

J.听whereas the current Council Recommendation of 30听November听2009 on smoke-free environments[12] sets out recommendations for Member States to implement the WHO FCTC and thus provides guidance for them to comply with their legal commitments to protect people from second-hand smoke in all indoor workplaces, public transport and indoor public spaces;

K.听whereas all EU Member States are parties to the WHO FCTC; whereas Principle 1 of the guidelines for the implementation of Article 8 stipulates that the total elimination of smoking and tobacco smoke in specific spaces or environments is required to protect against exposure and create a 100听% smoke-free environment;

L.听whereas the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the WHO FCTC recognises HTPs as tobacco products, which are subject to the provisions of the WHO FCTC, as noted in Decision FCTC/COP8(22); whereas parties to the WHO FCTC are urged to prioritise measures that protect people from exposure to their emissions and to explicitly extend smoke-free laws to include HTPs;

M.听whereas the regulation of HTPs and new and emerging nicotine and non-nicotine products remains fragmented across the EU, making it difficult for national authorities to enforce national legislation;

N.听whereas the Commission鈥檚 proposed revision of the Council Recommendation on smoke-free environments aims to better protect people, especially children, young people and pregnant women, from the effects of second-hand smoke and aerosols, and recommends extending smoke-free policies to key outdoor areas such as public playgrounds, amusement parks, swimming pools, healthcare and education facilities, public buildings and transport stations;

O.听whereas the Commission鈥檚 proposal also recommends that Member States听extend smoke-free environment policies to new and emerging products,听such as HTPs and electronic cigarettes; whereas the proposal further recommends the exchange of best practices and the strengthening of international cooperation to maximise the impact of the measures taken across the EU;

P.听whereas the Commission will provide support through a direct grant of EUR听16听million from the EU4Health programme, while EUR听80听million from the Horizon Europe programme has already been allocated to reinforce the control of tobacco, nicotine and related products, and addiction prevention; whereas the Commission will also develop a prevention toolkit to support the protection of children and young people鈥檚 health;

Q.听whereas the implementation of the recommendation should be monitored regularly to measure progress towards achieving their objectives and to identify gaps in the efforts to ensure smoke- and aerosol-free environments;

R.听whereas the practice of growing tobacco harms not only human health, but also soil health, endangering the future of our food supply; whereas today, a record 349听million people are facing acute food insecurity, while tobacco is being grown in over 124 countries, taking up 3.2听million hectares of fertile land that could be used to grow food;

S.听whereas 鈥榯obacco-free farms鈥�, a joint initiative of the UN and the WHO, aims to support countries in creating an enabling and supportive crop production and marketing ecosystem to help farmers shift from tobacco growing to alternative livelihoods[13];

T.听whereas tobacco control efforts are systematically opposed by the tobacco industry[14];

U.听whereas, as a signatory to the WHO FCTC, the EU is obliged to limit its interactions with the tobacco industry and to make those interactions transparent;

V.听whereas, in December听2023, the European Ombudsman found that the Commission had failed to ensure transparency across all its departments with regard to its meetings with tobacco lobbyists[15];

1.听Deeply regrets the fact that the Commission delayed the publication of this long-awaited proposal by more than nine months after it was originally planned;

2.听Reiterates its strong and continued support for the goal of creating a 鈥榯obacco-free generation鈥�, as set out in Europe鈥檚 Beating Cancer Plan; underlines the need to step up efforts so that the aim of a 鈥榯obacco-free generation鈥� can be achieved by 2035, five years before the deadline; requests that appropriate resources be allocated to measure the progress and achievement of this goal;

3.听Welcomes the Commission鈥檚 proposal for an updated Council Recommendation on smoke- and aerosol-free environments; considers the rise in the use of HTPs, e-cigarettes and other aerosol-emitting products in public, outdoor and indoor spaces to be a risk to public health and an environmental problem;

4.听Underlines that there is no proven safe level of exposure to smoke and aerosols;

5.听Welcomes the Commission鈥檚 intention to provide effective protection from second-hand smoke and aerosols; highlights the need for protection from environments contaminated by tobacco;

6.听Underlines that smoke-free environments protect the health of both non-smokers and smokers, as they prevent non-smokers from exposure to hazardous and dangerous substances and they encourage smokers to reduce their smoking or to stop completely;

7.听Calls on the Member States to extend public bans on smoking to new and emerging HTPs, e-cigarettes and other aerosol-emitting products;

8.听Suggests that bans on smoking and aerosol-emitting products should be designed in such a way to ensure the highest level of protection, especially for children, young people, pregnant women and other vulnerable groups;

9.听Calls on the Commission and the Member States to undertake studies and stimulate further research on the risks associated with second-hand exposure to HTPs and aerosols, including e-cigarettes;

10.听Expresses concern over the growing public health risks posed by the rise in black market vaping products; emphasises that the lack of control over the safety and origins of these products jeopardises public health, and calls on the Commission and the Member States to impose stronger measures to prevent such products from illegally entering the market;

11.听Welcomes the Commission鈥檚 provision of funding, through the听EU4Health programme,听to support Member States in implementing health policies, including these recommended measures; calls for the implementation of health policies that aim to support people to quit smoking, such as consultations and access to affordable medicines to quit smoking;

12.听Deplores the 20听% cut to the EU4Health programme under the EU budget; is gravely concerned about the EU鈥檚 long-term investment plan for health;

13.听Calls on the Commission to propose, as a matter of priority, a revision of the directives on tobacco advertising[16], tobacco taxation[17] and tobacco products;

14.听Underlines that there is a fundamental and irreconcilable conflict between the tobacco industry鈥檚 interests and public health policy interests;

15.听Underscores that the tobacco industry knowingly听denied that its products were linked to cancer听and falsely claimed that second-hand smoke did not cause any harm; condemns the fact that this misleading conduct continues today听with tobacco, e-cigarette and other nicotine companies听concealing the addictive nature听of their products, while听directly targeting children and young adults with advertisements for their harmful products[18];

16.听Calls on the Commission and the Member States to put additional measures in place to reduce the appeal and availability of vapes, notably to children and young people;

17.听Calls on the Commission and the Member States, as signatories to the WHO FCTC, to effectively limit the EU鈥檚 interactions with the tobacco industry, allowing the industry鈥檚 input in public consultations only, and to make those interactions fully and proactively transparent;

18.听Calls on the Commission to assess the possibility of developing 鈥榯obacco-free farms鈥� initiatives under EU financial support programmes; calls on the Commission to prevent tobacco plantations from accessing EU public funding;

19.听Invites the Commission to report, four years after the adoption of this resolution, to 合法博彩网站 and the Council on the progress in its implementation and the implementation of the Council recommendation in the Member States;

20.听Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the governments and parliaments of the Member States and the World Health Organization.

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