[Intl-tobacco] New EU warning labels

[robert weissman]

COMUNICADO: EU Fight Against Tobacco Continues With Graphic Picture
Warnings and EUR 72 Million Media Campaign

BRUSSELS(BELGIUM), 22 Oct. (PRNewswire) -

The EU is intensifying its fight against tobacco. At a press
conferencein Brussels today David Byrne, the European Commissioner for
Health andConsumer Protection, announced a EUR 72 million EU media
campaign againstsmoking and unveiled new hard hitting picture warnings
for cigarette packs.

The new anti-smoking drive follows the success of the EU's 2002 to
2004campaign, "Feel free to say no"
(seehttp://europa.eu.int/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/04/323&format=HTML&aged=1&language=EN&guiLanguage=en),
which told young Europeans "be cool

- don't smoke", achieving some 1 billion contacts with them and
partneringthe EU with footballers and music stars. The picture warnings
unveiled by Mr.

Byrne include graphic photographs of rotten lungs (caption: "Smoking
causesfatal lung cancer") a dead body in a mortuary (caption: "Smokers
dieyounger") and a man with a large tumour on his throat (caption:
"Smoking cancause a slow and painful death"). They form part of a
database of 42 imagesdesigned for use in combination with the hard
hitting health warningsintroduced EU-wide in 2003
(seehttp://europa.eu.int/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/03/1213&format=HTML&aged=1&language=EN&guiLanguage=en).
EU countries who so wish will beable to use the pictures to add impact
to their health warnings. TheCommission expects picture warnings to be
introduced in a number of countriesnext year, including Ireland and Belgium.

Commissioner Byrne said: "People need to be shocked out of
theircomplacency about tobacco. I make no apology for some of the
pictures we areusing. The true face of smoking is disease, death and
horror - not theglamour and sophistication the pushers in the tobacco
industry try toportray. The EU must hammer home this message to young
people via its mediacampaign and to smokers via their cigarette packs."

Photo is available at:

http://www.presseportal.de/story.htx?firmaid=35368&keygroup=bild

Further information:

FEEL FREE TO SAY NO campaign: www.feel-free.info

Copies of the new picture warnings:

http://europa.eu.int/comm/mediatheque/photo/new_en.html For more
information on EU tobacco control policies:

http://www.europa.eu.int/comm/health/ph_determinants/life_style/Tobacco/tobacco_en.htm

MEDIA CONTACT

Caroline Navarro

Wassergasse 3

D-10179 Berlin

Tel: +49-(0)30-65-000-313

Fax: +49-(0)30-65-000-150

Email: c.navarro@media-consulta.com

Source: European Commission

MEDIA CONTACT: Caroline Navarro, Wassergasse 3, D-10179 Berlin, Tel:
+49-(0)30-65-000-313, Fax: +49-(0)30-65-000-150, Email:
c.navarro@media-consulta.com