Tobacco consumption is the single largest avoidable health risk in the EU. Having long acknowledged this threat, the EU was instrumental in designing and achieving consensus on the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). The FCTC entered into force in 2005 and was ratified by the EU and its Member States. The Smoke Free Partnership (SFP) is the leading NGO in the EU advocating for FCTC implementation. Since its creation, SFP spearheaded high-profile campaigns across Europe to introduce effective and evidence-based smoking prevention measures. In 2014, SFP formalised its working partnerships by creating the Smoke Free Partnership Coalition. The overarching strategic goal of this proposal is to improve the health of EU citizens and reduce health inequalities by promoting smoking prevention at EU and Member State level with a special focus on young people. During this three year period, SFP set four strategic objectives: 1. Promote and support smoking prevention at EU and national level through the development of advocacy strategies that deliver specific EU tobacco control policies 2. Promote and support smoking prevention at international, European and national level through the development and implementation of the FCTC, its protocols and guidelines 3. Mobilise and strengthen the capacity of European and national civil society to complement, support and add value to the policies of the EU and of the Member States4. Strengthen SFP’s institutional capacity to enable it to meet its goal and objectivesThis proposal shows how the SFP Coalition will contribute to Objective 1 of the Health Programme as our work directly relates to health promotion, disease prevention and the fostering of supportive environments for healthy lifestyles. The outcomes of this proposal will complement, support and add value to EU and Member State policies which aim to improve the health of EU citizens and reduce health inequalities.
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Within most European populations, smoking prevalence rates differ substantially according to people’s level of education, income or occupation. In European countries, smoking inequalities are generally high, and smoking is the largest single contributor to socio-economic inequalities in mortality. Significant inequalities in smoking are now emerging in all European countries, especially amongst young people. Tobacco products and secondhand smoke (SHS) kill, as documented in over 20 reports (eg: IARC, US Surgeon General). Exposure to SHS causes around 79.000 deaths every year in the EU, including:- Deaths from lung cancer, coronary heart disease, stroke and chronic non-neoplastic respiratory disease; - Deaths in childhood - Significant morbidity, both acute and chronicSpecial Eurobarometer 429/2015 indicates that almost one third of European citizens currently smoke, including cigarettes, cigars and pipes. 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 in Europe.With an increased capacity within its Secretariat, ENSP has the challenging task in 2016 to locally support its network members in the implementation of the TPD 2014/40/EU after its transposition into national laws by the month of May 2016. With activities based on scientific evidence and academic research, including a scientific committee, a new peer reviewed journal and a network of universities involved in tobacco control, ENSP has all the necessary competences and expertise to create a real impact in the de-normalisation of tobacco use in Europe. Remaining the only structured network specifically dedicated to tobacco control at European level, its work highly contributes to the comprehensive coordination of national and international tobacco control initiatives. ENSP 2016 work programme contributes to its wider 3-year strategy.
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In 2015, in recognition to its achievements, SFP was awarded the prestigious Luther L. Terry Award for Exemplary Leadership in Tobacco Control for Outstanding Organisation by the American Cancer Society. In 2016, SFP will continue to live up to this recognition by striving towards the fulfilment of its three year plan objectives:

1. Promote and support smoking prevention at EU and national level through the development of advocacy strategies that deliver specific EU tobacco control policies.

2. Promote and support smoking prevention at international, European and national level through the development and implementation of the FCTC, its protocols and guidelines.
3. Mobilise and strengthen the capacity of European and national civil society to complement, support and add value to the policies of the EU and of the Member States.

4. Strengthen SFP’s institutional capacity to enable it to meet its goal and objectives.

The SFP Coalition Annual Work Programme for 2016 will reinforce SFP Coalition policy work by providing tobacco control activities and deliverables in accordance with its strategic priorities and will continue to build upon the groundwork laid down in 2015. It will also assist to achieve the final goal of the SFP Coalition’s three-year work plan which is to improve the health of EU citizens and reduce health inequalities by promoting smoking prevention at EU and Member State level with a special focus on measures that prevent the uptake of smoking by young people. This will be done through a high level of cooperation, coordination and advocacy work of SFP Coalition with advocates, academia, researchers and policy makers.


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The overarching goal of the SFP Coalition multiannual work programme between 2018 and 2021 is to prevent cancer and chronic diseases through smoking prevention at EU and national level with a special focus on young people and health in all policies.

The first year of our 2018-2021 multiannual plan will set the foundation for SFP’s four main multi-sectoral campaigns in the coming years, while delivering specific activities and achieving concrete deliverables in 2018. The key campaigns for 2018 will focus on the forthcoming revision of the Tobacco Tax Directive. In this context we will also work with society organisations to call on their governments to ratify the Illicit Trade Protocol and to monitor the implementation of the EU system for tracking and tracing of tobacco products.

SFP will also work on promoting the understanding and implementation of FCTC Article 20 and towards the inclusion of SDG Target 3.4 (reducing NCDs) and 3.a (implementation of the FCTC) in national development plans. SFP will support the implementation of the FCTC at national level through the provision and exchange of evidence-based materials in particular with regard to Art 5.3 (tobacco industry interference), Art 8 (smoke-free policies), and Art 11&13 (especially plain packaging and point of sale measures).
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In the fourth and last year of the multi-annual work programme under our FPA 2018-2021, the Smoke Free Partnership coalition work plan for 2021 will continue the work towards the achievement of the overarching goal of preventing cancer and chronic diseases through smoking prevention at EU and national level with a special focus on young people and health in all policies:
- The campaign for increasing minimum excise duties on tobacco products as part of the revision of the EU Tobacco Tax Directive.
- The campaign to promote tobacco control research.
- The campaign to recognise the role of tobacco control funding within international development assistance programmes at EU and member state level as part of chronic disease prevention and sustainable health systems.
- The campaign to reduce and eliminate the tobacco industry interference in the fight against the illicit trade of tobacco products at EU and global level.
- The campaign to strengthen tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship (TAPS) restrictions and enforcement at national and European level.
- The campaign to communicate the role, value and impact of FCTC implementation to policy makers in EU and national institutions, particularly in the context of the lessons drawn from the coronavirus crisis for European health systems.
- The ongoing activities to monitor, expose and rebut tobacco industry interference across all policy work.
- Co-ordinating European civil society advocacy ahead of, during, and after the 9th Session of the Conference of the Parties to the FCTC (COP9) and the 2nd Meeting of the Parties to the Illicit Trade Protocol (MOP2) .
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