EFA

A report by the Smoke-Free Partnership, partnership between European Respiratory Society (ERS), Cancer Research UK and National Institute of Cancer in France, ‘Lifting the Smoke-screen – 10 Reasons for a Smoke-Free Europe’, was launched in the European Parliament on 21 March 2006. It revealed that passive smoking is responsible for killing around 20,000 non-smoking EU citizens every year and around 80,000 deaths, both smokers and non-smokers, are attributable to passive smoking. The report recommends that “all EU Member States should introduce comprehensive smoke free legislation to make all workplaces and enclosed and enclosed public spaces at the earliest opportunity and that the public support is there!” EFA was represented in the stakeholder panel of the launch by Martin Dockrell from the Asthma UK. Martin said that the past UK experience has showed that voluntary agreements are a fiasco, they actually resulted in ‘smoking allowed’ signs outside bars and restaurants. Exemptions fail to do precisely what smoking bans should be all about – protecting vulnerable groups. Asthma attack from second hand smoke is like justifying an assault. All EFA members will receive a complimentary copy of the report. Source: EUPolitix, 21 March 2006 and EFA