ASH Ireland welcomes EU adoption of world’s first Tobacco Control Treaty.

Date: 21 May 2003

EU Member States, accession countries and associated countries signalled their support for global tobacco control in Geneva today. As the World Health Assembly adopted the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), the Greek Presidency promised to begin the process of EU signature and ratification. ASH Ireland is entirely confident that the Irish Government will continue its support of effective national and global control on the marketing, sale and use of tobacco.

Dr Fenton Howell, Chairman of ASH Ireland said to-day,” This is good news for the pro health lobby and all involved in the fight against the scourge of tobacco use and nicotine addiction. Several million people die each year from tobacco use, 7,000 of them in Ireland. The tobacco industry has inflicted illness and death on millions of people and now governments and major bodies are starting to fight back and minimise the impact of what is essentially a killer product. In fairness the Irish Government, especially Minister Micheal Martin, has taken a lead role in the fight against tobacco”

ASH Ireland welcomes this breakthrough to-day, enabled by last week’s council agreement which authorised the EU delegation to ‘speak with one voice’ despite doubts previously and persistently expressed by Germany. These doubts were swept aside today as agreement was reached.

The FCTC, which is the first international public health treaty, has been the subject of intense negotiations for the past 3-½ years. The Treaty was adopted today despite earlier opposition from countries such as Germany, the United States and Japan, which are home to leading tobacco multi-nationals. The FCTC includes a comprehensive ban on tobacco advertising and sponsorship, provisions for health warnings to occupy at least 30% of tobacco product packaging, a ban on misleading descriptors such as ‘light’ and ‘mild’, provisions for smoke-free work and public places, higher taxation on tobacco products and international co-operation to fight smuggling.

Attention now turns to the meeting of the EU Health Council on 2 June 2003, where ministers will discuss a Commission proposal for the ratification and implementation of the Treaty by the EU and its Member States.