Tobacco and trade seminar in Brussels

Tobacco control and trade are not mutually exclusive but can both gain from shared understanding and joint work. This was one of the messages emerging from the tobacco and trade seminar which took place in Brussels on 6-7 March 2014. The seminar was a follow-up to the first trade and tobacco consultations held last June in Madrid and organized by WHO/Europe. The Brussels seminar was organized by DG Sanco and involved DG Trade as well as 28 countries of the European Union.

The aim of the seminar was to offer a possibility for health and trade experts to discuss the interplay of tobacco control and trade policies and to contribute to a mutual better understanding. WHO/Europe provided high-level global experts and delivered a presentation on the status of tobacco control and related challenges in the WHO European region.