According to a report by the media Filtermag on January 3, on December 5, 2023, the European Parliament held a meeting in Brussels, Belgium, with the theme of "Harm Reduction: The Road to a Smoke-Free Europe."
The meeting was chaired by Swedish MEP John Nissinen, and invited British smoke-free advocate Clive Bates to speak as guests. Not only was this a meeting to explore how smokers can switch to safer nicotine options, it was also the first time the European Parliament formally heard the views of Tobacco Harm Reduction (THR) consumers.
During the event, Clive Bates strongly criticized European institutions for often placing consumers in a secondary position, emphasizing that consumers are the most important stakeholders, and called for consumers to be given a respectful right to a hearing.
Julio Ruard Esteban of the Spanish Electronic Cigarette Association (ANESVAP), which represents 600,000 Spanish e-cigarette users, highlighted the impact of tobacco market regulatory errors on people's health and lives.
Tom Gleeson, spokesman for the Irish New Nicotine Alliance, shared the changes that e-cigarettes have made in his life. He said that since he bought his first e-cigarette, he has never smoked again and has smoked 131,490 fewer cigarettes.
Philippe Poisson, speaker of the French Independent Tobacco Harm Reduction Association (SOVAPE), shared his experience of successfully quitting smoking, emphasizing the help of e-cigarettes during his 28 years of smoking.
Consumers, experts and relevant organizations at the meeting agreed that getting the EU policy right is crucial to future tobacco harm reduction. This meeting will take an important step towards formulating a more scientific and humane tobacco policy in Europe.
