EU fight against tobacco continues with graphic picture warnings and 72 million media campaign

BRUSSELS (Belgium) October 22 (PROTEXT/ots) - The EU isintensifying its fight against tobacco. At a press conference inBrussels today David Byrne, the European Commissioner for Healthand Consumer Protection, announced a 72 million EU mediacampaign against smoking and unveiled new hard hitting picturewarnings for cigarette packs. The new anti- smoking drive followsthe success of the EUs 2002 to 2004 campaign, Feel free to sayno (see IP/04/323), which told young Europeans be cool dontsmoke, achieving some 1 billion contacts with them andpartnering the EU with footballers and music stars. The picturewarnings unveiled by Mr. Byrne include graphic photographs ofrotten lungs (caption: Smoking causes fatal lung cancer) a deadbody in a mortuary (caption: Smokers die younger) and a man witha large tumour on his throat (caption: Smoking can cause a slowand painful death). They form part of a database of 42 imagesdesigned for use in combination with the hard hitting healthwarnings introduced EU-wide in 2003 (see IP/03/1213). EUcountries who so wish will be able to use the pictures to addimpact to their health warnings. The Commission expects picturewarnings to be introduced in a number of countries next year,including Ireland and Belgium. Commissioner Byrne said: Peopleneed to be shocked out of their complacency about tobacco. Imake no apology for some of the pictures we are using. The trueface of smoking is disease, death and horror not the glamour andsophistication the pushers in the tobacco industry try toportray. The EU must hammer home this message to young peoplevia its media campaign and to smokers via their cigarette packs. cross-reference: photo is available at:

http://www.presseportal.de/story.htx?firmaid=35368&keygroup=bild Further information FEEL FREE TO SAY NO campaign:www.feel- free.info Copies of the new picture warnings:http://europa.eu.int/comm/mediatheque/photo/new_en.html For moreinformation on EU tobacco control policies:http://www.europa.eu.int/comm/health/ph_determinants/life_style/Tobacco/tobacco_en.htm

MEDIA CONSULTA Caroline Navarro Wassergasse 3 D-10179 BerlinTel: +49 (0)30 65 000 313 Fax: +49 (0)30 65 000 150 Email:c.navarro@media-consulta.com 2

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