The Danish government drafted a bill last March to ban the sale of tobacco products to those born after 2010, but it was derailed by EU rules that make it impossible for member states to ban or restrict tobacco marketing. Such a plan, Health Minister Magnus Heunicke acknowledged, would require a change to the EU Tobacco Products Directive (TPD).
It is no coincidence then that four months later in August the Spanish NGO NoFumadores signed a European citizens’ resolution to make the variable smoking age limit proposed by the Danish health minister a pan-European requirement.
The European Commission said it has drawn up the European citizens’ resolution called “A call for a smoke-free environment and the first European smoke-free generation by 2030” which should have reached one million signatures within six months of publication of and from 7 different countries to be taken into account for the pre-formulation of policy by the European Union. The content of the resolution, among other things, calls for the establishment of the variable age limit for the purchase of tobacco and nicotine products for those born before 2010.
Since Denmark, where the variable age limit for smoking was proposed first of all Europe, participates in the E.U. where it would be covered by the European citizens’ resolution having an identical purpose, it is revealed that the resolution signed by the NGO NoFumadores came as a reaction to the diversion of the same plan for Denmark by the EU directive for tobacco products which NoFumadores wishes to adapt to its preferences.
Bring Back Smoking Freedom 