France is on the right track in the fight against tobacco epidemic in Europe

The French government has outlined new legislation ⁽¹⁾ to introduce standardised packaging for cigarettes following Ireland ⁽²⁾ and the UK's recent initiatives ⁽³⁾. If the bill is adopted, France will be taking a major step forward to protect its citizens against a habit that kills around 73,000 people every year in France ⁽⁴⁾ and 700,000 in the European Union - equivalent to the population of cities like Seville or Frankfurt.

As Peggy Maguire, EPHA President, wrote in an open letter ⁽⁵⁾ to Marisol Touraine, the French Minister for Health, "the European public health community strongly recommends the introduction of plain standardised packaging and urges the French government to follow through on its commitment."

Evidence from Uruguay, Australia and Canada ⁽⁶⁾ shows that large pictorial health warnings encourage smokers to give up and discourage non-smokers from starting. Standardised packaging reduces tobacco consumption, one of the main risk factors of cancer, cardiovascular diseases, heart attacks, strokes and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. A systematic review of evidence demonstrates ⁽⁷⁾ that health warnings on tobacco packs are effective in discouraging young people from taking up smoking and in motivating smokers to think about stopping.

Recently published data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics indicate falling tobacco consumption in the country ⁽⁸⁾ showing the potential of plain packaging in fighting the tobacco epidemic. This suggests that plain packaging represents an effective tobacco control measure that has the potential to contribute to reductions in the harm caused by tobacco smoking now and in the future ⁽⁹⁾.

Europe's youth has the highest rates of smoking in the world, with higher proportions of smokers among lower socio-economic groups and rising numbers of young female smokers ⁽¹⁰⁾. "Tobacco packaging is designed to attract different kinds of consumers. For example, coloured packaging clearly targets the youth," said Emma Woodford, EPHA Interim Secretary General. "Standardised packaging for cigarettes provides young people with higher levels of health protection, deters future generations from smoking and encourages current smokers to give up," added Mrs Woodford.

Earlier this year, the European Union adopted its revised Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) ⁽¹¹⁾. In order to ensure a high level of protection of European people's health, it allows EU Member States to introduce more stringent measures to regulate tobacco products, such as standardised packaging.

"The French plans to introduce standardised packaging for cigarettes will encourage other governments in the European Union to strengthen their public health measures in the fight against tobacco-related death and disease. If applied across the rest of Europe, this measure would save thousands of lives every year," concluded Mrs Woodford.