Commission adopts a new set of written health warnings

On 13 March, 2012, the European Commission adopted 14 new written health warnings to appear on tobacco packs. Written health warnings on tobacco products sold in the European Union have been compulsory since 2003.

The 14 new health warnings adopted were selected from 24 possible messages, which had been tested in focus groups among all 27 EU Member States through a Barometer study. The warnings were further discussed and agreed upon with all EU Member States.

New warning texts include:

• "Smoking causes mouth and throat cancer";
• "Smoking increases the risk of blindness";
• "Smoking damages your teeth and gums";
• "Smokers' children are more likely to start smoking".

EU Member States have two years to introduce the new written health warnings. The Tobacco Products Directive also makes it possible for EU Member States to combine text warnings with pictorial health warnings. These have been proven to be extremely effective in improving the specific knowledge of a larger part of the public, making the pack less attractive, increasing smoking cessation and diminishing initiation. Although the general public is familiar with the message “smoking kills”, it is less aware of the specific health consequences of tobacco use. Large pictorial health warnings have proved to be one of the most effective vehicles to provide such information and to reach a large audience – including children and young people, migrants and people with lower literacy levels.

The current Tobacco Products Directive, dating from 2001, is under revision and underwent a public consultation from September through December 2010, inviting citizens, businesses, NGOs and national authorities to comment on the need to revise the Directive and on various policy options that such a revision may involve – one being the introduction of mandatory pictorial warnings.