The European Parliament takes a stand against the European Commission
11th Dec 2023
On Wednesday, December 13, the European Parliament will vote on the report on non-communicable diseases prepared by the Committee on Public Health. We at Pouch Patrol encourage all Members of the European Parliament who care about reducing smoking-related mortality to vote in favor.
Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) account for the majority of premature deaths worldwide, including cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and chronic lung diseases. These diseases share common risk factors such as smoking, alcohol, unhealthy dietary habits, and lack of physical activity. In the EU alone, nearly 700,000 people die as a result of smoking every year.
The report takes a clear stance that harm reduction is necessary to prevent and reduce smoking-related mortality. Furthermore, the report states that the risks of different tobacco and nicotine products should be evaluated through scientific research and compared to each other. This way, one can clearly identify the various harmful effects of these products. Finally, the report acknowledges that e-cigarettes can be a tool to help smokers quit harmful tobacco cigarettes. This could be an opening to also recognize the potential of snus and nicotine pouches to reduce harmful smoking in the future.
Once the report, expected to be voted through by a large majority, is adopted, it will send a clear signal from the Members of the European Parliament to the Commission that no legislative proposals that do not adhere to these positions will pass the Parliament.
In the future, we at Pouch Patrol hope that the European Parliament will draw inspiration from Sweden’s success with safer nicotine experiences. With the lowest number of smokers in the EU, tobacco-related mortality in Sweden is half of the EU average, and soon the country will be classified as the EU’s first smoke-free nation.
Now it is up to European voters to actively participate in next year’s EU elections and ensure that the right representatives are in power during the upcoming mandate period when the Commission is expected to propose legislation affecting the future of nicotine users in Europe.
