Proposition 54K1599

Projet de loi modifiant la loi du 24 janvier 1977 relative à la protection de la santé des consommateurs en ce qui concerne les denrées alimentaires et les autres produits afin d'interdire la vente de tabac et de produits similaires à des mineurs.

General information ¶

Authors

CD&V Els Van Hoof
N-VA An Capoen, Yoleen Van Camp, Valerie Van Peel, Jan Vercammen

Submission date

Jan. 21, 2016

Official page

Visit

Status

Adopted

Requirement

Simple

Subjects

young person smoking tobacco public health

Voting ¶

Voted to adopt

Groen CD&V Vooruit Ecolo LE PS | SP DéFI N-VA MR PVDA | PTB PP VB

Abstained from voting

∉ Open Vld

Party dissidents ¶

• Veli Yüksel (CD&V) abstained from voting.

Contact form ¶

Do you have a question or request regarding this proposition? Select the most appropriate option for your request and I will get back to you shortly.

Discussion ¶

April 24, 2019 | Plenary session (Chamber of representatives)

Full source

The rapporteurs, Senesael and Gustin, refer to their written report.

There are four proposals on the agenda regarding smoking and the sale of tobacco products. These proposals have been extensively discussed in the committee and I will therefore limit myself to what our group considers most important. I would like to extend this not only because it is a bill from us, but also because we find this a very important topic.

It is actually bizarre that this discussion still needs to be carried out, because the majority of the parties has the increase of the age for buying tobacco products just in the party program. It would be expected that this could be quickly approved in the Public Health Committee. However, strange brain cramps have caused this proposal to be rejected in the committee with seven votes against seven and a few abstentions.

That is why I am here today with Article 88. Almost everyone in this hemisphere and beyond is in favour of raising the age limit for buying tobacco products up to 18 years. There are also very good reasons for this. According to the World Health Organization, smoking is one of the leading causes of death in the world that can be avoided with proper prevention.

That good prevention begins quite early, because smokers often start at a very young age. A study from the University of Ghent shows that the vast majority of young people start smoking at the age of 16 or earlier. From the age of 17, we actually see a sharp decline in the number of starting smokers. The High Health Council therefore advocates for raising the age limit for buying tobacco products from 16 to 18 years.

They are also right. Not only do non-smokers often start at a very young age, especially those who start young are also much more likely to develop addiction at a later age. This is demonstrated again by academic research.

In addition, the latest survey of VAD pupils shows that young people between 16 and 18 years of age indicate that they can get tobacco fairly easily. For young people under the age of 16, this decreases from 8 in 10 to 4 in 10. Of course, the influence of peer pressure from their friends should not be underestimated. These friends, of course, play a role in delivering cigarettes and other tobacco-related products. "They increase the perception of the youth about the general prevalence of smoking in the population and thus help to create a standard in which smoking is accepted."

Our bill was rejected in the Public Health Committee, as already mentioned. This was only possible by the opposition of CD&V. It is unfortunate that there is no CD&V here. CD&V is, however, a party that itself had submitted a resolution for raising this age limit. We do not doubt that this was not a principled opposition vote, but rather a vote of loyalty to the government partner Open Vld. After all, it is generally conscious that especially Minister De Block is opposed to raising the age limit.

One could say that this sudden loyalty is glorifying CD&V, but this is unfortunately at the expense of the health of our young people. Meanwhile, Belgium remains almost the only country in the European Union that has not raised the age limit for buying tobacco products to 18 years, despite the fact that there is a very broad level of support for this, and in numerous countries this age limit has already been raised to 21 years.

It should be clear that we do not play a leading role in this area.

Dear CD&V Members of Parliament and colleagues of the MR, I look at you. Your party program has a good position because it states that you are in favour of raising the age limit for buying tobacco products to 18 years.

That is a better position than what you have adopted in the Public Health Committee, especially your vote against. I therefore invite you to repeal the rejection of the bill in the committee through Article 88 of the Chamber Rules.

Mr. Minister, it would have been delicate not to intervene on a matter as important as that of tobacco and the fight against smoking, which of course must remain a priority in public health.

I think it is important to recall that we have worked in this area during this legislature, although we have not been up to excluding tobacco use, which was not the goal. The smoking directive has entered into force. We have been waiting for it for a long time and it finally came into being in this legislature. It contains a number of key anti-smoking measures, including three specific examples: regulation on e-cigarettes, greater health warnings on tobacco products and a ban on menthol cigarettes.

In addition, this legislature has also seen the expansion of the refund of prescribed medicines for smoking cessation – a fundamental element –, the increase of the number of controllers within the SPF Public Health, and thus the strengthening of the controls on smoking prohibition.

A number of initiatives are to be taken, but it is still necessary to check whether the legislation is properly implemented and complied with. A considerable effort has been made during the legislature to raise excise duties and tobacco prices, with specific excise duties.

The price gap between cigarettes and tobacco has been greatly reduced. It should also be noted that the increase in excise duties has had the following effects on the price of packages: the weighted average price of a pack of 50 grams of rollable tobacco was raised from 5.51 euros in 2014 to 8.35 euros in 2018, an increase of 52%. The weighted average price of a pack of cigarettes fell from 5.31 euros in 2014 to 6.08 euros in 2018, an increase of 15%.

Additional excise duties, which we talked a lot about as part of the tax shift, were collected for an amount ranging from €700 million to €720 million.

We also ratified the Protocol to Eliminate Illegal Trade in Tobacco Products, which will enter into force in Belgium on 23 May 2019. The implementation of the neutral cigarette package is on track. We have had to refer to a number of experiments at the European and even global level, but we are reaching this point.

We also approved in commission the end of the sale of cigarettes in automatic distributors. This text is, however, notified to the European Commission because, as you know, a number of decisions that are made here in Belgium must also be notified at European level. So today we are supplementing this arsenal of measures with a federal ban on smoking in the car in the presence of children.

These measures will never replace health education. Education remains the fundamental and first vector to make young people and young people understand that smoking remains harmful and extremely dangerous. To do this, the information must be spread especially within the families, the parents must also take their responsibilities.

In addition, I obviously insist on actions at the level of schools, universities, youth movements and sports clubs. This weekend I had the opportunity to go to a sports club in the Netherlands to attend an international competition. I found that tobacco was prohibited around the grounds and in clubhouses, including alcohol. It was a competition for young people under the age of 16. Belgium should take an example in these initiatives that can only go in the interest of the health of our children. Information and awareness about the health risks associated with tobacco consumption should be raised. In order to do this, the campaigns will need to be intensified.

Mr. Minister, Mr. President, dear colleagues, this is the different information that I would like to give today as tobacco remains an element to be combated on a daily basis. Through our initiatives, I think we will succeed. I thank you.

There were only statements of support. You can but do not have to take the word. You are not asking for the word? (No to)