Cafe terraces, bus stops, school grounds... European states voted on Tuesday in favour of extending smoke-free zones and banning electronic cigarettes.
This recommendation is not binding - the fight against tobacco is the responsibility of each state - but this vote gives an indication of the policies that the 27 could pursue in the future.
It was the European Commission that put this proposal on the table to go further in the bans, while 24% of Europeans are smokers.
The text received very broad support among member states, with only Germany and Greece abstaining.
Germany has explained that the issue falls within the competence of its regions (Lander), some of which are opposed to banning smoking on cafe and restaurant terraces. Greek Minister Adonis Georgiadis has warned against strict rules in outdoor areas and called for more scientific data on the impact of products such as e-cigarettes.
The debates often focused on this last point. Some ministers defended nicotine-free electronic cigarettes, while others denounced an incentive to smoke for young people.
The European recommendation advises extending smoke-free zones to outdoor areas around hospitals and school buildings, public transport stops, playgrounds and amusement parks, and the terraces of cafes and restaurants.
"Emerging products such as heated tobacco or electronic cigarettes, which are increasingly affecting very young users, should also be banned," the Commission insists.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recently highlighted the negative effects of exposure to secondary emissions from these emerging products, including significant respiratory and cardiovascular problems, the European Commission points out.
French Minister Genevieve Darrieussecq fully supported the EU recommendation, calling for an evolution of European legislation governing the sale of tobacco to "extend it to all emerging products that generate addictions and poor health among young people".
The European Union aims to achieve a tobacco-free generation by 2040, when less than 51% of the population would still be consuming tobacco.
– Vote against in the European Parliament –
Tobacco currently kills more than 8 million people a year worldwide, including 1.3 million people exposed to second-hand smoke, according to the WHO.
Health policy, however, falls within the competence of the Member States, recalls the Commission, which advises implementing these recommendations, "taking into account their national situation and needs".
In the European Parliament, MEPs rejected a resolution on the same subject on Thursday by 378 votes to 152, in an alliance of convenience between elected representatives pushing for further bans and those opposed to any form of prohibition.
The adoption of amendments from the far right aimed at differentiating the rules between electronic cigarettes and traditional tobacco was criticised by the left. And in protest against these amendments, the social democrats ended up voting against the entire resolution. The far right also attacked the resolution, this time invoking the freedom of smokers.
Involved on this subject on the right, the French MEP Laurent Castillo (PPE) deplores the unfavourable vote of the Parliament, even if this resolution has only a symbolic value.
It is "essential" to "create tobacco-free environments around schools and health centres to protect the youngest and most vulnerable", insisted this elected official, also a doctor.
But "member states are free in their anti-smoking policies. We should not give the impression that the European Union bans smoking on cafe and restaurant terraces," he believes.
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