Press release EURO/03/02
Copenhagen and Warsaw, 18 February 2002

Twenty European Ministers of Health and other high level decision makers from 48 countries in the WHO European Region gathered in Warsaw today to take action to strengthen region-wide and global tobacco control efforts.

 “Any delay in implementing effective tobacco control policies means more deaths, “ warned Gro Harlem Brundtland, WHO Director General in her opening remarks to the European Ministerial Conference for a Tobacco-free Europe. “ The threat posed by tobacco to global health is unprecedented. Tobacco kills about 4 million people every year, constituting the single largest preventable cause of death world-wide. As tobacco consumption increases all over the world, especially among young people and people in developing countries, it will kill 10 million people a year by the late 2020’s.”

With 15% of all the smokers in the world, Europe suffers around one third of the global burden of all diseases caused by smoking. Every day 3360 Europeans die from tobacco use. Tobacco products are responsible for 1.2 million deaths a year (14% of all deaths) in Europe. Unless more effective measure are implemented, they will cause 2 million deaths (20% of all deaths) each year by 2020.

“The death toll from tobacco is so huge that people begin to look at this public health scourge as normal, inevitable and statistical. Preventable tobacco related harm and deaths are a tragedy not a statistic,” states Marc Danzon WHO Regional Director for Europe in his message to the Ministers. “We know what works in tobacco control. We now need to find the courage and resources to de-normalize these statistics and move public health values and concerns centerstage.”

A new WHO report, The European report on tobacco control policy (available on http://www.euro.who.int), launched at the meeting  reviews and analyses data about tobacco consumption, harm, policy control activities and industry marketing tactics in 48 countries in the WHO European Region.

“ During the last 10 years countries who implemented strong tobacco control policies saw a fall in death rates. But in countries where the marketing and promotion of the tobacco industry remains uncontrolled, the danger remains and cries out for solutions,” notes Dr Brundtland. “Tobacco is a communicated disease- communicated through advertising and sponsorship. A particularly pernicious form of that marketing pitch is found in stadia and sports arenas worldwide. Tobacco companies claim they do not target youth, but in practice they ensure that sponsorship and advertising flourish at events attended by and attractive to youth. In response WHO has now launched a campaign to clean sports of all forms of tobacco.”

The 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City has been declared smoke free. This year World No Tobacco Day, May 31, coincides with the opening of the Football World Cup in the Republic of Korea. The whole event in the Republic of Korea and in Japan will be tobacco free. “ I urge you all to join this movement for Tobacco free sports and to protect your people from the deadly marketing of tobacco products,”added Dr Brundtland.  

Ministers gathered in Warsaw will debate the adoption of a Declaration through which they would commit themselves to:

• placing tobacco control at the top of their public health priorities;
• developing comprehensive policies with measurable impact on the reduction of tobacco use; 
• paying particular attention to the alarming trends in tobacco consumption among young people, women and persons from vulnerable socioeconomic and minority groups;
• developing alternative economic activities to tobacco production and gradually transfer subsidies for tobacco growing to other activities;
• declaring their strong support for preparing a comprehensive European Action Plan on Tobacco and urge all Member States in the European Region and the European Commission to contribute actively to the development, adoption and implementation of a strong and effective Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC);
• urging Member States and intergovernmental organizations to strengthen European partnership and solidarity in tobacco control between the different parts of Europe.

“Strong international tobacco control is the best face of globalization, “ notes Marc Danzon WHO Regional Director . “As the burden of disease due to tobacco is shifts from the developed world to developing countries and developed countries in transition, international action like the European Union tobacco products directive and the proposed WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control can help protect vulnerable populations from trans-national tobacco threats. While we can never be ahead of the tobacco industry on the resource side we can stay ahead of them on the information and policy side. Identifying how best to do this is the key challenge of this meeting.”

FCTC will be the world’s first multilaterally agreed international treaty on a major health issue, and will have WHO as its secretariat. It will include a set of rules and regulations to govern the global use and spread of tobacco and tobacco products in the future. It addresses issues as diverse as advertising and promotion, agricultural diversification, smuggling, taxes and subsidies.

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