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MEPs from the EPP, S&D, ECR, Renew Europe, and The Left were finalising their draft joint resolution on smoke- and aerosol-free environments on (Monday) 25, November. The topic will be debated in plenary on Wednesday (27, November), and the text will be put to a vote in the European Parliament the following day.
According to the document, seen by Euractiv, MEPs primarily aim to urge member states to “extend public smoking bans to new and emerging products such as heated tobacco, e-cigarettes, and other aerosol-emitting products.”
The draft resolution proposes extending smoking and aerosol use bans to key outdoor areas, including outdoor restaurants and cafés, workplaces, the surroundings of healthcare facilities, educational institutions, care facilities, and public transport, including bus and tram stops, and train stations.
Railway platforms, airports, recreational areas, and other areas of high congregation would also fall under the scope of these restrictions.
Furthermore, the Commission, according to the document, should conduct studies and encourage research on the risks of secondhand exposure to heated tobacco and aerosols, including those emitted by e-cigarettes.
The document, which must still be finalised before the vote, also highlights the need to combat the sale of black-market vaping products. According to the draft resolution, “the Commission and member states should commit to taking stricter measures.”
MEPs also expect the Commission to provide member states with the necessary funding through the EU4Health programme to implement health policies, including the “recommended measures.”
Finally, MEPs are likely to call on the Commission to present a report to the European Parliament and the Council on the progress and implementation of the Council Recommendations in EU countries no later than four years after the resolution is adopted.
In September 2024, the European Commission proposed a recommendation aimed at more effectively protecting people, particularly young individuals, from the effects of secondhand smoke and emerging products such as heated tobacco and e-cigarettes.
The European Commission proposed a Council recommendation in September 2024 to enhance protection against the effects of secondhand smoke and emerging products like heated tobacco and e-cigarettes, with a special focus on young people. Recommendations are non-binding, but they can still exercise a strong influence on how national policies develop.
This initiative is also intended to help achieve the goal of a tobacco-free generation that the Commission has targeted for 2040. The MEPs’ draft resolution further emphasises the importance of reaching this objective.
Additionally, in 2023, the Commission launched a consultation to evaluate the EU’s legal framework for tobacco control. The focus was placed on regulation, advertising, promotion, and sponsorship of tobacco products.
The future Health Commissioner, Olivér Várhelyi, confirmed during his hearing that the Commission’s services had already begun preparatory work on revising directives on tobacco products, tobacco taxation, excise duties, and tobacco advertising.
This initiative was part of the mission letter addressed to the future Health Commissioner by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.
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The post MEPs finalise resolution to extend smoking and vaping bans in public places appeared first on Energy News Beat.
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