Turkey, Europe declare 'end game' for tobacco users

Turkey, Europe declare 'end game' for tobacco users

European Union and Turkish tobacco experts set the rules aimed at ending the use of tobacco in Europe.

Coffee shop owners stage a 2009 protest against the government's ban of indoor smoking. Experts say the adoption of European directives will help reduce smoking and its related health risks. [AFP]

As the European Parliament recently enacted a new set of directives in the fight against tobacco use, experts, parliamentarians, and scientists gathered last week in Istanbul to express their determination to protect the health of European citizens.

Turkey has had success in reducing the number of smokers, but participants in the sixth European Conference on Tobacco or Health Summit (ECToH) agreed that a broad-based approach is necessary to continue that trend.

The event brought 450 prominent tobacco and health experts to Istanbul to discuss a main theme dubbed "the end game." Participants discussed the new EU tobacco directives in detail and debated further preventive measures to stop smoking across the continent.

The new EU directives, which govern the manufacture, presentation and sale of tobacco and related products, foresee a high level of health protection for European citizens.

The main focus is to make it harder for tobacco companies to market their products to young people. The new measures also include bigger and more prominent graphic health warnings, which are proven to be effective in deterring non-smokers from picking up their first pack of cigarettes.

The law will also ban gimmick products, like slim "lipstick" packs and flavourings, which are attractive to young people.

Linda McAvan, the European Parliament's rapporteur on the...