ENSP is an independent, international non-profit association, which aims to develop a common strategy, amongst organisations active in smoking prevention and tobacco control in Europe, by sharing information and experience and through co-ordinated activities and projects.

Our vision is of a future where our fellow Europeans will not suffer the distress of ill health and early death because of tobacco. We want our children to be able to grow up without being targeted with messages that seek to lure them into a lifetime of addiction. We want all Europeans to be able to breathe clean air unpolluted by tobacco smoke.

As we increasingly communicate more freely and cross country borders more frequently, we realise that our individual countries do not stand alone; we feel the reverberations of change throughout Europe. Therefore, ENSP undertakes to use the best evidence of effectiveness in policy and practice to work together towards our common goal.

2.1.2.1 Raise awareness amongst decision-makers and ensure that a comprehensive, evidence-based tobacco control policy is in place or will be elaborated reflecting the articles of the FCTC and being mindful that the Preamble to the FCTC requires measures to be gender-sensitive, particularly by:

A) Supporting the legislative processes and developments towards a smoke-free environment. Focus will be put on the EU Member States which have not yet started or finalized their smoke-free legislative process, in compliance with the coming Council Recommendation and the Framework Directive 89/391/EEC on workplace safety & health. A special attention will also be given to the recommendations made in the ENSP/INWAT report “Exposing the Evidence-Women and Second Hand Smoke in Europe” (2008).
B) Identifying the enforcement organizations throughout Europe, how tobacco control legislation enforcement is organized, the needs in the different countries, and making the necessary recommendations to ensure that legislation is supported by appropriate compliance monitoring schemes.
C) Following up the FCTC and ENSP recommendations on health and pictorial warnings, and encouraging those concerned EU Member States to take the necessary steps to initiate or speed up their current legislative process.
D) Supporting the current process of revision of the tobacco products taxation and promote the European Commission’s proposals.


2.1.2.2 Build or increase ENSP coalition members’ capacity by:

A) Collecting and disseminating via a regular news bulletins and newsletters up-to-date tobacco control alerts, information, good practices, members’ news, policy developments at the EU institutions’ level and other available information.
B) Organizing information and motivational seminars on tobacco control, networking and advocacy at regional, national and European levels.
C) Organizing one strategic and coordination European meeting, and one network meeting, promoting and tightening the relationship and collaboration between the members.
D) Strengthening and finalizing the coalition building and ENSP membership processes in Estonia and Malta.


2.1.2.3 Increase ENSP secretariat’s capacity by:

A) Recruiting two new colleagues supporting and in charge of the national and European policy developments and communication strategies.
B) Developing the ENSP website to improve or enlarge its interactivity possibilities, its public and restricted contents, and its connection and other services offer to ENSP members.



2.1.2.4 Strengthen synergies and coordination with other EU and international public health organisations, in priority by:

A) Actively participating in the EPHA (European Public Health Alliance) and the EUHPF (European Health Policy Forum) coordination meetings, and possibly others.
B) Closely liasing with SFP (Smoke-free Partnership) and ECL (European Cancer Leagues) to coordinate and support each other’s actions whenever possible.
C) Tightening relationship with FCA (Framework Convention Alliance).


2.1.2.5 Support and collaborate to European projects (particularly the coming new EU media campaign, and the projects on “Working with communities to reduce health inequalities” and smoking in movies) by:

A) Sharing ENSP European project management experience with the project coordinators.
B) Supporting the dissemination of the information and the results.
C) Coordinating the ENSP members’ contributions when necessary.

The ENSP coordinated action 2009 will contribute to:

1) strengthen the political wills to protect the European citizens against second-hand smoke;
2) speed up or initiate the legislative processes on health and pictorial warnings in the Member States which have not started yet;
3) raise the citizens’ awareness that tobacco is not a normal consumption product;
4) build barriers to the participation and the influence of the tobacco industry in the setting and the implementation of the tobacco control policies;
5) reduce tobacco consumption and health inequalities;
6) strengthen the coordination in developing strategies and policies at the European level;
7) increase the pro-activity and involvement of the European tobacco control community in front of the powerful lobbying of the tobacco industry.