Skip to content
MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION (2024/2911(RSP))

On the Council’s recommendation on smoke- and aerosol-free environments

B-10-2024-0175

on behalf of The Left Group · Rapporteur: Catarina Martins

Official HTML ↗ PDF DOCX
✦ In shortFull text
✦ In short · AI summary of this text, generated 4 Sept 2026

Written by a language model from the full text only; every figure comes from the text. The paragraph links open the paragraph a statement rests on — check the text itself before relying on it.

This resolution supports the Commission's proposal to update the Council recommendation on smoke- and aerosol-free environments, and calls for extending bans to new products and protecting vulnerable groups. It urges stronger measures against black market vaping, more research on second-hand aerosols, and a revision of EU tobacco directives. It also calls for limiting tobacco industry influence, supporting tobacco-free farms, and monitoring progress towards a tobacco-free generation by 2035.

Key points

  1. Regrets the Commission's delay in publishing the proposal by more than nine months.
  2. Reiterates support for a 'tobacco-free generation' and calls for achieving it by 2035, five years earlier than planned.
  3. Welcomes the proposal and considers new products a public health risk and environmental problem.
  4. Underlines that there is no proven safe level of exposure to smoke and aerosols.
  5. Calls on Member States to extend smoking bans to heated tobacco products, e-cigarettes and other aerosol-emitting products.
  6. Suggests bans should ensure the highest protection for children, young people, pregnant women and other vulnerable groups.
  7. Calls for studies and research on risks of second-hand exposure to new products.
  8. Expresses concern over black market vaping products and calls for stronger measures to prevent illegal entry.
  9. Welcomes EU4Health funding and calls for support to quit smoking, including consultations and affordable medicines.
  10. Deplores the 20% cut to the EU4Health programme and is concerned about long-term health investment.
  11. Calls for priority revision of directives on tobacco advertising, taxation and products.
  12. Calls for limiting tobacco industry interactions and making them transparent, and for assessing tobacco-free farms initiatives.

Who is affected

  • Member States: must extend smoking bans to new products and implement measures to reduce appeal of vapes.
  • Tobacco industry: faces calls to limit interactions and prevent access to EU funding for plantations.
  • Children and young people: targeted by measures to reduce appeal and availability of vapes.

Figures and deadlines

  • 20% cut to the EU4Health programme under the EU budget.
  • Four years after adoption for the Commission to report on progress.

Legal basis: Article 168 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union