Romanian youth champion brings young people’s perspectives to EU-level tobacco taxation event

A youth advocate from Romania’s FRESHAIR4Life Youth Advocacy Champions team, shared her perspectives at an EU-focused event hosted by ERS Tobacco Control Committee in Brussels to speak about the benefits of tobacco taxation.

Maria spoke to policymakers from the EU and Member States, respiratory clinicians, public health experts and patients advocates at the event, which aimed to emphasise the health and economic benefits of the proposed Tobacco Taxation Directive.

Drawing on her advocacy work with FRESHAIR4Life, Maria spoke about the importance of advocating for our health and how we can challenge the normalisation of smoking and vaping.

FRESHAIR4Life is an implementation research project, working with young people to develop new strategies for reducing the harm caused by tobacco and air pollution exposure in different settings. By empowering youth advocates like Maria, the project ensures that young people’s voices inform interventions, strengthening their relevance for the target audience. Find out more about FRESHAIR4Life.

Tobacco consumption remains the leading cause of premature death in the EU. Taxation is an effective, proven way of reducing its prevalence and the proposed Directive is a critical step towards aligning tobacco policy with current public health priorities.

Entitled ‘Taxing times for tobacco – effective EU fiscal policy for the protection of Europe’s youngest citizens’ brought together, the European Respiratory Society event:

• put a spotlight on youth protection and real-world impact of the proposed Tobacco Taxation Directive
• analysed why tax is one of the most effective ways to reduce prevalence
• identified the fiscal benefits of the Tobacco Taxation Directive

Find out more about effective tobacco and nicotine taxation to protect youth.

Read a Politico news article about the event.