EU urges WHO to focus on heated tobacco, suggests advertising bans

The European Union is calling on the World Health Organization to become more involved in the regulation of heated tobacco – and is urging tight advertising restrictions on the category, TobaccoIntelligence has learned.

The Conference of Parties to the WHO Framework Convention for Tobacco Control kicked off in Geneva this week, with the eighth session (COP8) to define ‘a roadmap for strengthening and expanding the scope of the landmark global health treaty’.

The event sees attendees from 137 countries plus representatives from UN agencies, intergovernmental organisations and civil society. Conference participants are to review the progress in reducing tobacco use and strategies for addressing the emergence of new tobacco products and tobacco industry interference in tobacco control efforts.