Open letter from European medical associations to Members of the European Parliament

7 June 2000

On May 25, the Environment and Public Health Committee of the European Parliament adopted a report by Jules Maaten MEP on a proposed EU Directive to strengthen regulations on the manufacture, presentation and sale of tobacco products. As representatives of Europe's doctors, we believe that regulation of tobacco must reflect the true nature of the health risks. We therefore address this open letter to all Members of the European Parliament, urging them to make the health of Europe's citizens their first priority by supporting the Maaten report at the plenary session on 12-15 June in Strasbourg.

Every day, European doctors come face to face with the suffering and death caused by tobacco. In the EU alone in 1990, more than half a million people died as a result of their tobacco use. The measures proposed in the Maaten report will go some way towards reducing this terrible toll.

Nicotine addiction is the main motivating force behind tobacco use. Tar is a potent cocktail of cancer-causing substances, and carbon monoxide is a major contributor to diseases of the heart and circulation. The Directive recommends reducing the tar content of cigarettes and introducing limits on carbon monoxide and nicotine.

More than 600 additives are licensed for use in tobacco products. We believe that smokers have the right to know what they are consuming, and support the proposal to require the disclosure and testing of these substances.

Smokers have the right to full and accurate information on the health risks of tobacco. Health warnings are an important source of information, and are particularly effective in reaching young people and those wishing to quit. Research shows that the larger the health warning, the more effective it is. We support the proposal that the health warning should cover 40% of the front of the pack, and 50% of the back. An expert committee should be established to identify messages that are effective.

Under the Directive, use of terms such as 'light', 'mild', and 'ultra-light' will be prohibited throughout the EU. These terms mislead smokers into thinking such products are less harmful, when there is evidence that precisely the opposite may be true.

Finally, we urge members of parliament to ensure that the Directive applies to all tobacco products manufactured and sold in the EU. Products for export often find their way back into the European market. Moreover, there can be no scientific or ethical basis for perpetuating double-standards that deny minimum standards of protection to consumers in the accession states and elsewhere.

The proposed directive presents an important opportunity for members of the European Parliament to protect European consumers from a product that is uniquely hazardous to health. We call upon the European Parliament to give priority to the health of Europe's citizens by voting for a robust Directive on the manufacture, sale and presentation of tobacco products.

Yours sincerely,

Dr Reiner Brettenthaler
Vice-President, Austrian Medical Association

Dr Roland Lemye
Secretary-General for International Affairs
Belgian Association of Medical Unions

Dr Mac Armstrong
Secretary
British Medical Association