A new decree regulating the introduction of pictorial warnings on cigarette packets has recently been enacted by the Spanish government. The new regulation becomes effective in May 2010.

This update of amendments to the smoke-free legislation in force in Spain is provided by Dr Carles Ariza, of the Public Health Agency, Barcelona.

The photographs contained in this article show advertising at tobacco stands and samples of cigarette packaging. These advertisements have appeared at popular tobacco stands in Ljubljana and the product (No Brand cigarettes) is already on sale. The advertisements say My Brand and Be true to yourself, there are already too many others and also appeared in one widely distributed free newspaper, Dobro Jutro. It is immediately apparent that the advertisements are associated with tobacco products, as they mimic the design of pack health warnings by using black lettering in black circles on a white background.

 

From July 1st bars and restaurants will be smoke free!

4 years after the smoke free workplace in other settings, hospitality workers can enjoy a smokefree workplace in the end. Owners have the opportunity to create a closed off smoking room. Serving in the smoking room is not allowed, drinking, consuming and dancing is. Smoking in the terrace is also still allowed. Government started a campaign to introduce the new law. Spots can be viewed here: http://www.horecarookvrij.nl/nl/Campagne/TV-en-radio.html. Taxes will also increase by appr. 50 cent. Combined with a big stop-smoking campaign, we estimate that the percentage smokers will decrease by 2% to 26% this year.
STIVORO, together with the Dutch Cancer Society, Heart Association and Asthma Foundation, recently started a cessation campaign. Slogan of the campaign is: there is a quitter in every smoker. A television show, broadcasted Saturday evenings at prime time, is part of the campaign. In this show, several groups of smokers take the challenge of quitting using different kind of treatment (group session, personal coaching, quit line, etc). The other part of show is about breaking and taking challenges (breaking records). If you would like to watch the show (in Dutch, but it gives you an idea), please visit http://www.rtl.nl/shows/ikweddatikhetkan/gemist/. TV spots are part of the campaign too. Theme here is that ‘if he or she can quit, so can you’. You see a woman talking about her addiction: when she still smoked she’d do anything to find cigarettes. She knew there should be cigarettes somewhere in her house, and finally she found them in the dust bag of the vacuum cleaner…. In the end she says: great that I do not need to go through this stress again, I feel liberated’. You can watch (in Dutch) the spots at: http://iniedererokerziteenstopper.stivoro.nl/ (click on tv commercial on the bottom of the site).
For more information, please contact Fleur van Bladeren and Lies van Gennip through fvanbladeren@stivoro.nl

The Slovenian Coalition for Tobacco Control presents information on its latest activities and its efforts to support smoke-free legislation in Slovenia.

As a part of the PHARE project RO 2003/005-551.04.07.01 “Improvement of the efficiency of the Romanian system for occupational health surveillance and control of occupational diseases, work-related diseases and injuries due to occupational risk - EuropeAid/119644/D/SV/RO”, a national occupational health and safety information and promotion campaign was organised.

The campaign which consisted (among other activities) of six regional conferences, took place between 13-17 November 2006, in six locations in Romania, namely Bucharest, Cluj, Iasi, Sibiu, Tirgu Mures and Timisoara. It was organized by the consortium of companies developing the project out of which Romtens Foundation was responsible for the whole campaign.

The premise of this is that the promotion activities of safety at the workplace will be co-ordinated in an integrated manner with the current public health activities at a central and local level, including the existing strategy for workplace safety promotion in small and medium-sized enterprises.

One of the expected results of this campaign is to encourage the development of the Occupational Health and Safety Information and Promotion Units established within the Public Health Authorities, Public Health Institutes and Occupational Health Clinics.

Over 700 professionals from various fields of work, central and local authorities’ representatives, small, medium and large-sized enterprise representatives, both public and private, trade union representatives, i.a. benefited from this campaign.

At the end of the campaign a declaration was adopted by all participants stating in its final sentences:

"...In order to promote the state of well being at work, the professionals in Occupational Health and Safety from Romania, formed the Partnership for the Health of the Employees as an immediate and certain solution to achieve the objective "healthy employees in healthy workplaces".

In order to develop this new culture to prevent the risk and promote the workplace health, the professionals of this partnership are calling to action the government of Romania, the employers unions, the trade unions, the insurers, as well as any other responsible and interested in Occupational Health and Safety body."