discourage smoking and increase awareness of the harmful effects of smoking. Tobacco product warning labels are effective in informing smokers of the hazards of smoking, encouraging them to stop, and discouraging non-smokers from starting. 16, 17 Treatment to help dependent smokers stop Most smokers want to stop but many need help to do so because of their dependence. In the UK, for example, about 70% of smokers each year say they would like to stop but only a third make an attempt, and only 2 -- 3% succeed in stopping for at least one year. 18 One major reason for such a low cessation rate is the addictiveness of nicotine. Many smokers need help to stop. However, effective treatments exist, in the form of behavioural support (including telephone help lines) and medications, 19, 20 and need to be made more widely available to smokers. Although their impact on prevalence is low they are important because they help heavier, more dependent smokers, who have the most difficulty stopping and who place a heavier burden on health care services. In England such treatment services are now nationally available to all smokers through the National Health Service, free at the point of use (that is, paid out of general taxation). 21 METHODS In 2004 the European Network for Smoking Prevention (ENSP), with financial support from the European Commission, provided a grant to one of the authors (LJ) to measure tobacco control activity at country level in Europe. 22 A questionnaire was drafted then