The six-month Czech EU presidency, which kicks off in July 2022, is set to create a forceful proponent of tobacco harm reduction within the EU as the bloc forges ahead with efforts to draw up new tobacco regulations.
The Czech Republic took over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union from France on July 1, 2022.
While the Ukraine crisis, energy security, and the economy top the Czech’s stated EU presidency agenda, the Czech government will also have a six-month window to shape other EU policies.
And according to Czech National Drug Coordinator Jindřich Vobořil, the Czech government is “committed” to promoting tobacco harm reduction during its presidency.
“If the European Commission is serious about its plans to reduce the number of smokers and the impact of smoking, it must start considering the concept of risk reduction in the area of smoking,” Vobořil said at a June event organised by a Czech think tank.
Czech support for harm reduction
Vobořil, who held the same position from 2010-2018, has long been a proponent of harm reduction policies and is a respected figure in Czech policy circles.
He returned to his role in February 2022 at the invitation of newly-installed prime minister Petr Fiala. Fiala’s centre-right government expressed strong and explicit support for harm reduction in the policy proclamation it published upon assuming power in December 2021.
Snus Forumet – 2022-07-04
Want More Investigative Content?
