Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2009-11-25-Speech-3-392"
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"en.20091125.24.3-392"2
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"The European Union’s citizens and environment must benefit from the protection offered by the ban on smoking in public places. We cannot ignore the fact that smoking currently remains one of the biggest causes of illness and death. We fight with all our might against dangerous epidemics and invent complex and costly vaccines to protect ourselves against new viruses, but making the effort to protect our children, families and the environment from the harm of smoking is much more achievable for us.
Simple logic, if not the appeal to concepts such as the right of the non-smoking majority, should convince us to make this effort a priority. Some recent studies indicate that the ban on smoking in North America and Europe has led to a rapid decrease in certain serious health problems. In fact, this effect was noticed almost immediately after the smoking ban was introduced. In countries where smoking has been banned completely in public areas, the positive impact on health has been attributed to a number of factors. These include not only the removal of smoke inhaled indirectly by smokers, but also the reduction in passive smoking affecting non-smokers.
I would like us not to lose sight of one essential fact: smokers are a minority in the European Union. Of course, no one can suggest curtailing the right of individuals to smoke, not even for the sake of certain principles which we all support, such as strong protection for public health and an environment rid of sources of pollution. At the same time, however, the majority made up of non-smokers want a smoke-free environment. This reality should guide us when drafting and supporting anti-smoking legislation.
As the evidence suggests to us that smokers are likely to give up smoking with the help of these support measures, I think that we must strengthen anti-smoking legislative measures as part of a Community policy for controlling tobacco consumption, in order to make a practical contribution to improving public health right across the European Union."@en1
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