EU DECODED: New smoking trends could be affected by more restrictive rules

Nearly one-third of all cancers are attributed to tobacco use, including exposure to secondhand smoke. The EU’s executive branch made a recommendation, adopted this month by Member States, to reduce exposure to secondhand smoke in some outdoor spaces. However, each of the 27 governments will have full discretion over how to implement it in the next five years.

"There were some Member States that abstained like Czechia, for example, which called for more research into new tobacco products. Other countries already have some of these measures in place, like Sweden, which bans smoking on terraces outside bars and restaurants. In Lithuania, smoking is also limited to strictly designated areas. So now we will have to see what measures each Member State takes", explained Euronews journalist Marta Iraola, who followed the negotiations.

The new smoking ban would include outdoor areas such as playgrounds and amusement parks, restaurant terraces, rooftops and balconies, public transport stops and areas near health and educational establishments, to name a few examples.

It would no longer be possible to consume traditional tobacco products in these areas, as well as new products such as electronic cigarettes, heated tobacco and herbal vaporization. Europeans interviewed by Euronews in Lisbon and Berlin were divided over the new measures. 

“In terms of terraces and social spaces that are not close to health facilities, such as hospitals, I don’t think it makes sense to have a ban”, said a Lisbon resident. “I'm also a smoker, but I think you have a responsibility towards children, for example, and I think it's good not to smoke on playgrounds”, highlighted a Berlin resident.

This proposal is part of a broader EU plan to combat cancer,