Efforts to mitigate the devastation of tobacco-attributable morbidity and mortality have advanced in Europe and consist of the adoption of the EU Tobacco Products Directive (TPD), and the WHO FCTC. In addition, European Commission’s Green Deal, a milestone for cancer prevention, recognises the importance to address reinforced measures to limit tobacco use while Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan aims to reduce the cancer burden for patients, their families and health systems. In the face of a changing tobacco product landscape, where dual- and poly-tobacco use has become an increasing public health problem, strategies for addressing the tobacco epidemic must also evolve. COVID-19 pandemic also confirmed how vulnerable smokers, e-cigarette users, novel product users or those exposed to second-hand smoking can be, as preliminary data showed that they are at increased risk for severe symptomatology, hospitalisation, admission to an ICU or even death.

In past years ENSP illuminated new challenges the tobacco control community faces with the emergence of new products that undermine tobacco control and cessation efforts and created evidence fact sheets on taxation, tobacco flavours and heated tobacco and facilitated high-level discussions. ENSP also devoted its work to provide evidence on the 2020 Menthol Ban and emerging EU market trends (the entry of Juul) to ensure that stakeholders, from EU policy makers to the public are provided with “evidence-based” information. Moreover, a pervasive challenge expressed by ENSP Network Members in 2019/2020 is the continued interference and new tactics employed by the tobacco industry that has become more clandestine, even in the period of COVID-19 pandemic.

An evolution of the 4-year strategy detailed in the FPA, the 2021 ENSP annual work programme is structured into 4 general objectives that stem from a problem analysis area, to be addressed through 8 operational objectives continuing to further develop sustainable activities.
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The Smoke Free Partnership (SFP) is the only Coalition of national, pan-European and international NGOs working exclusively on EU policy analysis and advocacy linked to the implementation of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). Since its creation in 2005, SFP has led many successful campaigns to advance important EU smoking prevention policy areas, most notably European smoke-free policies and the Tobacco Products Directive, but also the EU Tobacco Tax Directive and policies against illicit tobacco trade. SFP has been recognised for its tobacco control work by the World Health Organisation with the World No Tobacco Day Award in 2011. SFP was also a recipient of the American Cancer Society’s 2015 Luther L. Terry Award for outstanding global achievement and exemplary leadership in Tobacco Control.
This application demonstrates how our strategic objectives directly respond to the first three specific priority areas of the 2017 Call for Proposals for Operating Grants. In particular, SFP and its Coalition Partners will assist the EU institutions and national governments with information and evidence-based intelligence and advice for the development of smoking prevention policies and the promotion of healthy lifestyles to prevent cancer and chronic diseases at EU and national level with a special focus on young people, reducing health inequalities, and promoting health in all policies. SFP will contributing to civil dialogue processes to increase public authorities’ commitment in this area by spearheading successful campaigns and building advocacy capacity among civil society organisations. This application also describes how we will contribute to the objectives of the European Solidarity Corps.
Based on our previous track record of producing results, this application also demonstrates how SFP and its Coalition partners will continue to contribute to the overarching and specific objectives of the Third Health Programme (2014-2020).
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In Europe smoking inequalities are generally very large due to education, occupation and income level; smoking and other forms of tobacco consumption are considered the single most important cause of preventable morbidity and premature mortality worldwide, with tobacco being the major single cause for premature deaths in the European Union (EU). Special Eurobarometer 458/2017 indicates that over a quarter (26%) of European citizens are currently smoking, and an increase in consumption amongst young people aged 15-24 is observed since 2014 (from 24% to 29%). Smoking within the EU is estimated to cause 700.000 deaths annually, half of which are among 35–69-year-olds. As smoking is responsible for half the difference in deaths across socio-economic groups, tobacco control has a major role to play in reducing health and social inequalities. Efforts to reduce tobacco-related deaths and illness in the EU are made by the newly adopted binding legislation, the Tobacco Products Directive (TPD), and the ongoing implementation of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).
ENSP plays a major role in the EU to prevent the tobacco industry from biasing and slowing down the tobacco control community effort. Key objectives for 2018-2021 are:
1. To assist and support at EU level the European Institutions with the complete implementation of tobacco control legislation, through the effective transposition and enforcement of the TPD (2014/40/EU) and the implementation of the WHO FCTC - through solid scientific evidence and awareness raising
2. To strengthen advocacy capacity at the EU MS National level, and more particularly to empower Civil Society organisations (Tobacco Control coalitions and NGOs), Policy Makers, academics, experts, etc.
3. To reduce health inequalities due to tobacco use at the micro level
4. To enhance the sustainability of ENSP to ensure the strategic long-term development, return on EU investment and continuation of activities post the 2018-2021 OG
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