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Public Health

Health warnings

The Tobacco Products Directive (2014/40/EU) requires cigarettes, roll-your-own tobacco and waterpipe tobacco to carry combined health warnings consisting of a picture from the EU library, a text warning and cessation information. Member States may also decide to require that other tobacco products for smoking carry the combined health warnings, such as cigars, cigarillos and pipe tobacco. The warnings should cover 65% of the front and back of packages. Tobacco products with combined health warnings must also carry a general warning and information message.

The EU picture library

In 2014, the Commission adopted a Delegated Directive establishing a library of the 42 pictures in three sets to be used in the combined health warnings:

  • Commission Delegated Directive 2014/109/EU of 10 October 2014 amending Annex II to Directive 2014/40/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council by establishing the library of picture warnings to be used on tobacco products.

The pictures chosen for the EU library were developed by external contractors and tested on 8000 participants in 10 EU Member States. Further information on the combined health warnings can be found in the Q and A on Combined health warnings.

Layout and position of health warnings

In order to specify the layout of the combined health warnings and the position of health warnings on roll-your-own tobacco pouches, the Commission has adopted two implementing acts:

In developing these acts, the Commission asked an external contractor to provide the Commission with proposals and technical specifications on the implementation of warning messages on tobacco packages, according to the provisions of the Directive. The final report can be found here.
Please see page 177 for suggestions of how to edit of the combined health warnings prepared by the contractor.

The Tobacco Products Directive (2014/40/EU) entered into force on 19 May 2014 and became applicable in EU countries on 20 May 2016. The Directive lays down rules governing the manufacture, presentation and sale of tobacco and related products. These include cigarettes, roll your own tobacco, pipe tobacco, cigars, cigarillos, smokeless tobacco, electronic cigarettes and herbal products for smoking.

In particular, the Directive:

  • prohibits cigarettes and roll-your-own tobacco with characterising flavours
  • requires tobacco industry to report to EU countries on the ingredients used in tobacco products
  • requires health warnings on tobacco and related products: combined health warnings (picture, text and information on how to stop) must cover 65% of the front and back of cigarette and roll-your-own tobacco packages
  • sets minimum dimensions for warnings and prohibits small packages for certain tobacco products
  • bans promotional and misleading elements on tobacco products, e-cigarettes and herbal products for smoking
  • introduces EU-wide tracking and tracing to combat the illicit trade of tobacco products
  • allows EU countries to prohibit internet sales of tobacco and related products
  • sets out safety, quality and notification requirements for electronic cigarettes
  • obliges manufacturers and importers to notify EU countries about novel tobacco products before placing them on the EU market

General

Ingredients and emissions

Labelling and packaging

Electronic cigarettes

Tackling illicit trade