{"id":5730,"date":"2024-07-10T07:45:28","date_gmt":"2024-07-10T11:45:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/worldvapersalliance.com\/?p=5730"},"modified":"2024-08-12T07:46:44","modified_gmt":"2024-08-12T11:46:44","slug":"seizing-the-opportunity-for-a-smoke-free-europe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/worldvapersalliance.com\/eu\/seizing-the-opportunity-for-a-smoke-free-europe\/","title":{"rendered":"Seizing the opportunity for a smoke-free Europe"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>As the newly elected European Parliament convenes, there lies a golden opportunity to make significant strides toward the ambitious yet achievable goal of a smoke-free Europe. By aiming for a smoking rate of less than 5% by 2040, the Parliament can transform public health across the continent. However, achieving this goal requires embracing science, listening to consumers, and learning from real-life examples such as Sweden.<\/p>\n<p>Making Europe smoke-free is indeed a monumental task, but it is doable if future regulations are grounded in reality. Unfortunately, we are currently in the middle of a misperception epidemic regarding the harm reduction potential and risks of alternative nicotine products. Alarmingly, <a href=\"https:\/\/weareinnovation.global\/opinion-poll-innovation-under-fire-a-global-alert-on-the-misperception-epidemic-in-vaping-views\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">74% of smokers<\/a> worldwide wrongly believe that vaping is equally or more harmful than smoking. This widespread misconception is a public health crisis in itself, deterring thousands of smokers in the EU from switching to less harmful alternatives. The new Parliament must address this crisis head-on.<\/p>\n<p>Over 100 organisations and government institutions worldwide agree that <a href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/document\/d\/1dDaKKxylS4wuwLmw8L_neBco1Z3KlkQEdU-tzwlAotI\/edit\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">vaping is significantly less harmful<\/a> than smoking. This consensus is supported by a systematic evidence review from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cochranelibrary.com\/cdsr\/doi\/10.1002\/14651858.CD010216.pub7\/full\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Cochrane<\/a>, a British public health non-governmental organisation. Cochrane\u2019s systematic reviews are globally recognised as the gold standard in health evidence, and their findings confirm that vaping aids smokers in quitting.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, respected public health authorities, including the UK\u2019s National Health Service (NHS), have taken steps to debunk significant misconceptions about vaping. The NHS published a guide titled &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nhs.uk\/better-health\/quit-smoking\/vaping-to-quit-smoking\/vaping-myths-and-the-facts\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Vaping Myths and Facts<\/a>&#8221; to provide smokers with high-quality, evidence-based information. Such efforts highlight the importance of accurate communication and regulation based on scientific evidence.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/worldvapersalliance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/WVA_Sweden_Factsheet.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Sweden\u2019s approach<\/a> to becoming smoke-free sets a remarkable precedent that the EU should copy. Rather than banning safer nicotine products, Sweden has embraced harm reduction, endorsing the use of products like snus, nicotine pouches, and e-cigarettes. This strategy has positioned Sweden on the verge of becoming the first smoke-free nation, serving as a model for global tobacco harm reduction strategies.<\/p>\n<p>The upcoming revisions of the Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) and the Tobacco Tax Directive (TTD) will be monumental decision points for the EU. The EU faces a critical choice: continue down the unsuccessful path of prohibition and over-regulation or acknowledge and adopt the successful Swedish model of harm reduction. Debates about flavour bans or the prohibition of products such as nicotine pouches threaten to derail the smoke-free goal. These restrictive measures would not only hinder smokers&#8217; access to less harmful alternatives but also perpetuate the very public health issues we aim to resolve.<\/p>\n<p>It is essential for the new Parliament to recognise that well-regulated, harm-reducing products can save lives. By fostering an environment where smokers are encouraged to switch to less harmful alternatives, we can drastically reduce smoking rates and improve public health outcomes.<\/p>\n<p>In conclusion, the new European Parliament has a unique opportunity to make history by driving Europe toward a smoke-free future. By listening to science, understanding consumer needs, and learning from successful examples like Sweden, Parliament members can enact regulations that truly benefit public health. With the right approach, a smoke-free Europe is within our grasp.<\/p>\n<p>Originally published <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theparliamentmagazine.eu\/partner\/article\/seizing-the-opportunity-for-a-smokefree-europe\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">here<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As the newly elected European Parliament convenes, there lies a golden opportunity to make significant strides toward the ambitious yet achievable goal of a smoke-free Europe. By aiming for a smoking rate of less than 5% by 2040, the Parliament can transform public health across the continent. However, achieving this goal requires embracing science, listening [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":6394,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5730","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-wva-in-the-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Seizing the opportunity for a smoke-free Europe - World Vapers&#039; Alliance<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/worldvapersalliance.com\/eu\/seizing-the-opportunity-for-a-smoke-free-europe\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Seizing the opportunity for a smoke-free Europe - World Vapers&#039; Alliance\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"As the newly elected European Parliament convenes, there lies a golden opportunity to make significant strides toward the ambitious yet achievable goal of a smoke-free Europe. By aiming for a smoking rate of less than 5% by 2040, the Parliament can transform public health across the continent. However, achieving this goal requires embracing science, listening [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/worldvapersalliance.com\/eu\/seizing-the-opportunity-for-a-smoke-free-europe\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"World Vapers&#039; Alliance\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-07-10T11:45:28+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-08-12T11:46:44+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/worldvapersalliance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Parliament-Magazine.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2081\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1920\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"World Vapers&#039; Alliance\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"World Vapers&#039; Alliance\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldvapersalliance.com\\\/seizing-the-opportunity-for-a-smoke-free-europe\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldvapersalliance.com\\\/seizing-the-opportunity-for-a-smoke-free-europe\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"World Vapers' Alliance\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldvapersalliance.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/18484a6f20bcc6f70a2419c8babe017d\"},\"headline\":\"Seizing the opportunity for a smoke-free Europe\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-07-10T11:45:28+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-08-12T11:46:44+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldvapersalliance.com\\\/seizing-the-opportunity-for-a-smoke-free-europe\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":519,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldvapersalliance.com\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldvapersalliance.com\\\/seizing-the-opportunity-for-a-smoke-free-europe\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldvapersalliance.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/WVA-in-the-news.png\",\"articleSection\":[\"WVA in the News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-150\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/worldvapersalliance.com\\\/seizing-the-opportunity-for-a-smoke-free-europe\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldvapersalliance.com\\\/seizing-the-opportunity-for-a-smoke-free-europe\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldvapersalliance.com\\\/seizing-the-opportunity-for-a-smoke-free-europe\\\/\",\"name\":\"Seizing the opportunity for a smoke-free Europe - World Vapers&#039; Alliance\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldvapersalliance.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldvapersalliance.com\\\/seizing-the-opportunity-for-a-smoke-free-europe\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldvapersalliance.com\\\/seizing-the-opportunity-for-a-smoke-free-europe\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldvapersalliance.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/WVA-in-the-news.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-07-10T11:45:28+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-08-12T11:46:44+00:00\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-150\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/worldvapersalliance.com\\\/seizing-the-opportunity-for-a-smoke-free-europe\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-150\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldvapersalliance.com\\\/seizing-the-opportunity-for-a-smoke-free-europe\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldvapersalliance.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/WVA-in-the-news.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldvapersalliance.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/WVA-in-the-news.png\",\"width\":1264,\"height\":848},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldvapersalliance.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldvapersalliance.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"World Vapers&#039; Alliance\",\"description\":\"The largest community of vapers\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldvapersalliance.com\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldvapersalliance.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-150\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldvapersalliance.com\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"World Vapers&#039; Alliance\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldvapersalliance.com\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-150\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldvapersalliance.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldvapersalliance.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/01\\\/WVA_RB_Fist_G.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldvapersalliance.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/01\\\/WVA_RB_Fist_G.png\",\"width\":985,\"height\":1177,\"caption\":\"World Vapers&#039; Alliance\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldvapersalliance.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldvapersalliance.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/18484a6f20bcc6f70a2419c8babe017d\",\"name\":\"World Vapers' Alliance\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-150\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/456bf795c7a47c9ac527a94da4bff150aa49e48726d69bee9937f8383cffa246?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/456bf795c7a47c9ac527a94da4bff150aa49e48726d69bee9937f8383cffa246?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/456bf795c7a47c9ac527a94da4bff150aa49e48726d69bee9937f8383cffa246?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"World Vapers' Alliance\"},\"url\":\"http:\\\/\\\/worldvapersalliance.com\\\/eu\\\/author\\\/wva\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Seizing the opportunity for a smoke-free Europe - World Vapers&#039; Alliance","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/worldvapersalliance.com\/eu\/seizing-the-opportunity-for-a-smoke-free-europe\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Seizing the opportunity for a smoke-free Europe - World Vapers&#039; Alliance","og_description":"As the newly elected European Parliament convenes, there lies a golden opportunity to make significant strides toward the ambitious yet achievable goal of a smoke-free Europe. By aiming for a smoking rate of less than 5% by 2040, the Parliament can transform public health across the continent. However, achieving this goal requires embracing science, listening [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/worldvapersalliance.com\/eu\/seizing-the-opportunity-for-a-smoke-free-europe\/","og_site_name":"World Vapers&#039; Alliance","article_published_time":"2024-07-10T11:45:28+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-08-12T11:46:44+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2081,"height":1920,"url":"https:\/\/worldvapersalliance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Parliament-Magazine.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"World Vapers' Alliance","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"World Vapers' Alliance","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/worldvapersalliance.com\/seizing-the-opportunity-for-a-smoke-free-europe\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/worldvapersalliance.com\/seizing-the-opportunity-for-a-smoke-free-europe\/"},"author":{"name":"World Vapers' Alliance","@id":"https:\/\/worldvapersalliance.com\/#\/schema\/person\/18484a6f20bcc6f70a2419c8babe017d"},"headline":"Seizing the opportunity for a smoke-free Europe","datePublished":"2024-07-10T11:45:28+00:00","dateModified":"2024-08-12T11:46:44+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/worldvapersalliance.com\/seizing-the-opportunity-for-a-smoke-free-europe\/"},"wordCount":519,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/worldvapersalliance.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/worldvapersalliance.com\/seizing-the-opportunity-for-a-smoke-free-europe\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/worldvapersalliance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/WVA-in-the-news.png","articleSection":["WVA in the News"],"inLanguage":"en-150","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/worldvapersalliance.com\/seizing-the-opportunity-for-a-smoke-free-europe\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/worldvapersalliance.com\/seizing-the-opportunity-for-a-smoke-free-europe\/","url":"https:\/\/worldvapersalliance.com\/seizing-the-opportunity-for-a-smoke-free-europe\/","name":"Seizing the opportunity for a smoke-free Europe - World Vapers&#039; Alliance","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/worldvapersalliance.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/worldvapersalliance.com\/seizing-the-opportunity-for-a-smoke-free-europe\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/worldvapersalliance.com\/seizing-the-opportunity-for-a-smoke-free-europe\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/worldvapersalliance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/WVA-in-the-news.png","datePublished":"2024-07-10T11:45:28+00:00","dateModified":"2024-08-12T11:46:44+00:00","inLanguage":"en-150","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/worldvapersalliance.com\/seizing-the-opportunity-for-a-smoke-free-europe\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-150","@id":"https:\/\/worldvapersalliance.com\/seizing-the-opportunity-for-a-smoke-free-europe\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/worldvapersalliance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/WVA-in-the-news.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/worldvapersalliance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/WVA-in-the-news.png","width":1264,"height":848},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/worldvapersalliance.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/worldvapersalliance.com\/","name":"World Vapers&#039; Alliance","description":"The largest community of vapers","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/worldvapersalliance.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/worldvapersalliance.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-150"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/worldvapersalliance.com\/#organization","name":"World Vapers&#039; Alliance","url":"https:\/\/worldvapersalliance.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-150","@id":"https:\/\/worldvapersalliance.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/worldvapersalliance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/WVA_RB_Fist_G.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/worldvapersalliance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/WVA_RB_Fist_G.png","width":985,"height":1177,"caption":"World Vapers&#039; Alliance"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/worldvapersalliance.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/worldvapersalliance.com\/#\/schema\/person\/18484a6f20bcc6f70a2419c8babe017d","name":"World Vapers' Alliance","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-150","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/456bf795c7a47c9ac527a94da4bff150aa49e48726d69bee9937f8383cffa246?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/456bf795c7a47c9ac527a94da4bff150aa49e48726d69bee9937f8383cffa246?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/456bf795c7a47c9ac527a94da4bff150aa49e48726d69bee9937f8383cffa246?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"World Vapers' Alliance"},"url":"http:\/\/worldvapersalliance.com\/eu\/author\/wva\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/worldvapersalliance.com\/eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5730","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/worldvapersalliance.com\/eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/worldvapersalliance.com\/eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/worldvapersalliance.com\/eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/worldvapersalliance.com\/eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5730"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/worldvapersalliance.com\/eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5730\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/worldvapersalliance.com\/eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6394"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/worldvapersalliance.com\/eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5730"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/worldvapersalliance.com\/eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5730"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/worldvapersalliance.com\/eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5730"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}