Council conclusions of 18 November 1999 on combating tobacco consumption
Date: 1999-11-18
Institutions: Council of the European Union
Subjects: EU Member State, cooperation policy, exchange of information, public awareness campaign, public health, smoking

C 86/4

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

24.3.2000

COUNCIL CONCLUSIONS

of 18 November 1999

on combating tobacco consumption

(2000/C 86/03)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

1. EMPHASISING that Article 152 of the Treaty stipulates that
a high level of health protection shall be ensured in the
definition and implementation of all Community policies
and activities, and that therefore health risks should be
in all matters relating to tobacco,
taken into account
including decisions in the field of
the internal market,
taxation and agriculture;

2. RECALLING the Council resolution of 26 November 1996
on
European
Community (1) which reviewed the actions taken in this
field and which indicated guidelines for future action;

reduction

smoking

the

the

of

in

in addition to the Directive on television
3. RECALLING,
frontiers and to the Directives respectively on
without
labelling and tar content,
the adoption of Directive
98/43/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council
of 6 July 1998 on the approximation of the laws, regu-
lations and administrative provisions of the Member States
relating to the advertising and sponsorship of
tobacco
products (2);

4. RECALLING Council Regulation (EEC) No 2075/92 of 30
June 1992 on the common organisation of the market in
raw tobacco (3) which sets up a Community Tobacco Fund,
and Commission Regulation (EEC) No 2427/93 of 1
September 1993 laying down detailed rules
the
application of Council Regulation (EEC) No 2075/92
with regard to the Community Fund for tobacco research
and information (4);

for

5. TAKING ACCOUNT of the Commission communication of
and proposed

18 December 1996 on the present
Community role in combating tobacco consumption;

6. TAKES NOTE of the Commission report of 8 September
1999 on progress achieved in relation to public health
protection
tobacco
harmful
consumption;

from the

effects

of

(1) OJ C 374, 11.12.1996, p. 4.
(2) OJ L 213, 30.7.1998, p. 9.
(3) OJ L 215, 30.7.1992, p. 70. Regulation as last amended by Regu-

lation (EC) No 660/1999 (OJ L 83, 27.3.1999, p. 10).

(4) OJ L 223, 2.9.1993, p. 3. Regulation as last amended by Regulation

(EC) No 1620/95 (OJ L 154, 5.7.1995, p. 12).

7. WELCOMES

the

the
strengthening and comple-
Commission proposal
menting the existing provisions laid down in the Directives
concerning the labelling and content of tobacco products;

forthcoming
for

transmission

of

8. NOTES that there remain significant differences between

the tobacco control policies of the Member States;

9. CONSIDERS THAT combating tobacco consumption should
be one of the priorities in the policies and activities of the
Community and of Member States;

10. UNDERLINES the importance of focusing efforts on actions
in priority areas identified in the Commission’s report, i.e.
prevention of the take-up of smoking, assisting smokers
who want to stop smoking, and protecting persons against
involuntary exposure to tobacco smoke, and that within
these action areas young people and women must be a
particular priority;

11. UNDERLINES

the necessity for developing an overall

strategy comprising the following elements:

(cid:151) an effective system to monitor tobacco consumption,
throughout
the
implementation of

tobacco policies and their effects
Community
as well
Community legislation,

the

as

(cid:151) a coordinated range of Community instruments and

activities in all relevant policy areas,

(cid:151) strengthened cooperation between Member States, and

(cid:151) international cooperation, in particular with the World

Health Organisation;

12. EMPHASISES in this context the importance of the planned
framework Convention on Tobacco Control whose prep-
aration was launched unanimously by the 52nd Assembly
(1999) of the World Health Organisation;

13. URGES the Member States to support actively this overall
strategy by their measures and to provide regular and
complete information to the Commission;

14.

INVITES the Commission, as a contribution to the overall
strategy:

(cid:151) to propose a Council
protection against
smoke in public places and at the working place,

recommendation aiming at
involuntary exposure to tobacco

24.3.2000

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Official Journal of the European Communities

C 86/5

(cid:151) to

activities

incorporate

tobacco
consumption in the future action programme for
public health taking into account the results obtained
from the mid-term evaluations,

reduce

to

(cid:151) to foster the exchange of information between Member
States on best practies and experiences developed in
relation to the reduction of tobacco consumption,

(cid:151) to ensure

the

that

tobacco
funds
prevention activities from the Community Tobacco
Fund are used effectively
in coordination with
national health authorities,

available

for

(cid:151) to explore the possibility of

protection of minors,
conditions,
sales
Internet) and vending machines,

including rules
through electronic means

initiatives aiming at
selling
for
(the

(cid:151) to strengthen cooperation between health and other
policy areas, such as the internal market and agri-

culture, with the aim of ensuring a high level of health
protection in these areas,

(cid:151) to examine measures

in connection with tobacco
taxation, which aim at ensuring its effective impact
on reduction of tobacco comsuption and at preventing
fraud and smuggling,

(cid:151) to promote tobacco control action in the context of

cooperation with applicant countries,

(cid:151) to examine possibilities to include tobacco control
measures in the framework of the New Transatlantic
Agenda as well as in health cooperation with Canada;

15.

INVITES the Commission to follow-up the development in
this area and suggest new measures, when needed, and to
report every two years on the work conducted and on the
progress achieved.