This ban threatens such brand names as Marlboro Lights and Camel Lights. Sweden currently holds the rotating EU presidency. Smoking is blamed for the deaths of 500,000 people a year in Western Europe, where about one-third of adults smoke. Mr. Byrne said his goal is to bring that number down to levels in the United States, where about 20 percent of people smoke. The new directive won praise from antismoking activists.
Tobacco companies are less enthusiastic.
European health officials are anxious to stem the spread of nicotine addiction among young people - especially among young women, who are taking up smoking in unprecedented numbers. Researchers found similar if less dramatic figures throughout Europe, for both boys and girls. The reasons for this pattern are unclear, experts say, but may simply be fashion and the fact that European teenagers are consuming more of all sorts of drugs, including marijuana and alcohol. Two countries are bucking the trend, however. Mr. Bates, the ASH director, attributes this to local fashion, stiff increases in cigarette prices, and a more intriguing lifestyle change.