Tobacco use remains among the leading preventable causes of death worldwide, contributing significantly to cancer, chronic respiratory conditions, cardiovascular diseases and other noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). This year marks the 20th anniversary of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC), which has been the global driver for progress in preventing and reducing tobacco consumption. Yet, many countries are facing challenges in meeting the tobacco targets set in the Global action plan for the prevention and control of NCDs1, and the Sustainable Development Goals.2
A major obstacle in ending the tobacco epidemic is the interference of the tobacco industry and related entities. This is highlighted in the theme of the 2025 World No Tobacco Day (31st May): “Unmasking the Appeal: Exposing Industry Tactics on Tobacco and Nicotine Products”. Despite causing millions of premature deaths and polluting the oceans with trillions of toxic and plastic cigarette butts each year,3 this industry now claims to promote a smoke-free future by marketing new addictive and harmful products to new generations. Simultaneously, it attacks governments that are adopting tobacco control policies with multiple tactics4 – while continuing to sell cigarettes.
The interference is also addressed in the recent review of the Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan, which assessed the progress towards its’ “Tobacco-Free Generation” goal – namely, that less than 5% of the EU-population uses tobacco by year 2040.5 The review noted that the Commission remains strongly committed to complying with the EU’s international commitments under the WHO FCTC, including its Article 5.3, by protecting the development and implementation of its public health policies from the tobacco industry’s interference and ensuring the transparency of its interactions with representatives of the industry.
This commitment is truly needed in the evaluation and revision of the EU’s legislative framework on tobacco control. In a mission letter to Olivér Várhelyi, Commissioner-designate for Health and Animal Welfare, President Ursula von der Leyen called upon this revision to specifically address concerns about young people’s access to novel tobacco and nicotine products.6 New attractive designs and flavours, digital and cross-border marketing and sales, affordable prices, and uneven implementation across Member States continue to challenge prevention and endanger the EU’s “Tobacco-Free Generation” goal.
The industry’s continuous product innovation and adaptation requires forward-looking, proactive, and harmonized responses across Member States. The EU needs to stand united and strong not only in revising its own legislation, but in global arenas, most importantly in the upcoming Conference of the Parties of the WHO FCTC. Further, more awareness of the industry tactics and the WHO FCTC obligations is needed outside the health sector – for example in the negotiations for the Global Plastics Treaty. This unique opportunity to prohibit cigarette filters, that maintain false safety perceptions besides their vast environmental damage, should not be missed.
The Joint Action Prevent Non-Communicable Diseases (JA PreventNCD) is actively contributing to tobacco control efforts across Europe. As part of its broader mission to reduce NCDs, the project supports countries in health in all policies approach and implementing evidence-based policies and practices aligned with the WHO FCTC. It has already gathered information of monitoring practices and examples of tobacco industry interference encountered by partner countries and supported new European countries to join the 2025 Global Tobacco Industry Interference Index assessment. Ongoing work will facilitate strengthened implementation and enforcement of regulations, and improved policy monitoring for new tobacco and nicotine products. Further, several pilots provide support for the implementation of the revised Council Recommendation on smoke- and aerosol-free environments and improve provision and reach of support for the cessation of tobacco and nicotine use. By fostering collaboration among the EU Member States, JA PreventNCD helps ensure that tobacco control remains a priority in the fight against NCDs.
As we commemorate 20 years of the WHO FCTC and reflect on the 2025 World No Tobacco Day theme, the message is clear: we must resist industry tactics and protect future generations from addiction and disease. This requires vigilance and unity among governments, sufficient resources for tobacco control, enforcement, monitoring and research, and support to civil society organizations that can often expose industry activities first. Further, concrete tools such as codes of conduct that explicitly address Article 5.3 are needed to raise awareness among public officials. Tobacco control – and increasingly nicotine control – is a matter of youth protection, health equity, and sustainable development. It is time to step up and ensure that the right to health and a healthy environment always comes before industry profit.
Author: Hanna Ollila, Senior Specialist, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL)
References
1. WHO 2025. Noncommunicable Diseases, Rehabilitation and Disability. World Health Organization. Available at: ://www.who.int/teams/noncommunicable-diseases/updating-appendix-3-of-the-who-global-ncd-action-plan-2013-2030
2. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Goal 3 | Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages. Available at: https://sdgs.un.org/goals/goal3#targets_and_indicators
3. FCTC 2025. Tobacco and the environment. WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. Available at: https://fctc.who.int/newsroom/spotlight/environment
4. University of Bath 2024. Tobacco Industry Tactics. Available at: https://www.tobaccotactics.org/article/tobacco-industry-tactics/
5. European Commission 2025. Review of Europe's Beating Cancer Plan. Available at: https://health.ec.europa.eu/publications/review-europes-beating-cancer-plan_en
6. European Commission 2024. Mission Letter. Available at: https://commission.europa.eu/document/download/b1817a1b-e62e-4949-bbb8-ebf29b54c8bd_en?filename=Mission%20letter%20-%20VARHELYI.pdf