EU Voted on Heavier Smoking Restrictions

Among the measures that European Commission voted were putting bigger health warnings on the cigarette packs covering 65% of the boxes. Photo by BGNES

Members of European Parliament voted on Tuesday measures to tighten tobacco regulations in the EU aimed at reducing smoking among young people.

Among the measures that European Commission voted were putting bigger health warnings on the cigarette packs covering 65% of the boxes ,a ban on cigarette flavorings including the controversial menthol,a ban on packs of 10 cigarettes, a limit at the advertising of electronic cigarettes, reported BBC.

The proposals for tougher restrictions such as the ban on slim cigarettes,printing health warnings on 75 % of the cigarette packs, restricting sales of electronic cigarettes by issuing an official statement for treating them as a medical products have been rejected, despite the claims of the health campaigners.

It can take more than two years until the new smoking restricting rules become laws in all 28 EU member states, stated BBC.

The EU Commission reports almost 700,000 Europeans die from smoking-related illnesses each year.

The costs for healthcare in the EU are estimated to be at least EU 25.3 B annually.

Smoking restricting measures such as smoking bans in public and limits on tobacco advertising among others undertaken over the past decade made the number of smokers fall from an estimated 40 per cent of the EU’s 500 million citizens to 28 per cent now.

We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!