Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2011-09-15-Speech-4-054-000"
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"en.20110915.3.4-054-000"2
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"Mr President, next week, when the UN meets in New York, it is really important that we send a clear message on tackling non-communicable diseases. I think that all of us in this House can agree that the ever-increasing rise in cancer, heart disease, diabetes and stroke, amongst many other diseases, is devastating lives and families across Europe. It needs to be addressed urgently.
We should not just focus on rhetoric. We should focus on the action that we can take here in the European Parliament. Over the next year, our main weapon against non-communicable diseases will be an effective revision of the Tobacco Products Directive. Tobacco use is the biggest cause of preventable deaths. It kills one in ten people worldwide. Half of all regular smokers will be killed by the product that they are using. This is an issue of epidemic proportions and needs to be treated as such.
If we implement the aims of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and use measures that have been proven by other countries to be extremely effective, such as standardising packaging and restricting the use of additives and flavourings, we could see a decline in tobacco use across Europe, especially among young people, saving thousands of lives.
In these difficult times of austerity, does it not make sense to tackle a problem which is costing European governments up to EURÂ 100 billion each and every year? The cost of treating the huge host of preventable diseases caused by tobacco is astronomical. It just does not make sense.
That is why it is so disappointing to hear that there is a delay in the Commission bringing this proposal forward. We need this proposal at the beginning of 2012, as promised. It really does question our commitment when we hesitate to take action on one of the biggest causes of death and disease amongst our citizens."@en1
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