Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2009-11-26-Speech-4-196"
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"en.20091126.18.4-196"2
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"Mr President, I voted in favour, though I would have liked to see a tougher resolution. Smoking is the greatest single cause of premature deaths in Europe. Tobacco smoke is an environmental pollutant that contains over a hundred compounds that do harm to the health. Nevertheless, parts of Europe allow not just users of tobacco but those around them to be exposed to it. Passive smoking is a moral problem, because those who suffer have no choice. It is necessary, in particular, to protect children.
Studies suggest that a child whose parent uses tobacco actually ‘smokes’ every fourth cigarette that his or her parent smokes. Every year, smoking leads to the premature death of almost 100 000 Europeans. Many Member States have already implemented some excellent measures. When Finland finally also banned smoking in restaurants and bars there was an outcry. Now, two years later, people are only grateful. That reflects the nature of public health policy: lasting results might be achieved through prevention and awareness-raising, but it takes the resolve of the legislators to deal with the resistance. I disagree with some of the other Members here that the Community does not need binding legislation on health and safety at work. It needs to be recognised that the recommendations have not been sufficient everywhere. I do support paragraph 13 of the resolution, in which the Commission is urged to put forward a legislative proposal for smoking to be banned in indoor workplaces and also on public transport.
Smoking is expensive for society, and, furthermore, the 70% of Europeans who do not smoke end up paying the bill. I therefore agree with the view that Parliament expressed in 2007 that the content of the Tobacco Products Directive needs to be made more stringent and incorporate the liability of the manufacturers for the costs of health care due to the consumption of tobacco. The Union first needs to take the mote out of its own eye. It is high time we brought the gradual phasing out of subsidies for tobacco farming to a complete end."@en1
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