EU will recommend wider and stricter smoking bans

European Union countries should consider extending smoking bans to cover children’s play areas, outdoor pools, amusement parks, and terraces, the European Commission will recommend Tuesday, according to a document obtained by POLITICO.

The EU executive will also recommend stricter rules on e-cigarettes “whether containing nicotine or nicotine-free” as it looks to tackle the “uptake and appeal” of vapes among children and young people.

It calls for countries to “provide effective protection in indoor workplaces, indoor public places, and public transport” from second-hand emissions from heated tobacco products, e-cigarettes or “tobacco surrogates.”

And it recommends protection from exposure to second-hand smoke and aerosols in “designated outdoor recreational areas,” especially where children might be. “These should include public playgrounds, amusement parks, swimming pools, zoos, and other similar outdoor spaces.”

The revision is expected to be announced by the Commission Tuesday September 17.

It is an update of the Commission’s existing recommendation which date back to 2009 and which only targeted traditional tobacco products.