The “2035 – First Tobacco-Free Generation of Romania” Strategy is a commitment paper but also a work program drawn up by representatives of civil society and of medical societies with the purpose of protecting the right to life and health of the Romanian adult and child population, by eliminating the most important avoidable risk factor for chronic diseases, tobacco use.

The “2035 – First Tobacco-Free Generation of Romania” Strategy complies with the principles and goals of the National Health Strategy 2014 – 2020 and details the measures for fighting against tobacco use as they are stipulated in the Integrated Multi-Annual Plan for Promoting Health and Health Education. The document puts forward a set of measures aiming at having adolescents choose not to start smoking, so that children born as of 2017 could become the first tobacco-free generation by the time they each adulthood. 2035 being the year when they will be able to legally buy tobacco products, we may hope that it will stand for a new generation free from tobacco as young people would choose not to smoke.

The strategy emphasizes the prevention of initiation and the protection of children and adolescents against the devastating effects of tobacco use, as tobacco epidemic is maintained by the generations of young people who continue to be attracted by smoking. The main objective of this strategy is to reduce tobacco use to the absolute minimum, namely 5% of adult population, which is considered by the WHO as “the end of the devastating game with tobacco” within a reasonable timeframe.

The “2035 – First Tobacco-Free Generation of Romania” Strategy comes at a time when Romania has made great progress in the last year in terms of kicking off a change of cultural and social attitudes towards smoking, through the passing of the ban on smoking in public indoor spaces at the end of 2015, as well as in the framework of the adoption of the measures foreseen by the European Directive 2014/ 40/ EU on tobacco products focusing mainly on deterring smoking initiation among children and young adults.

The Charter for 2035-First Tobacco-Free Generation of Romania outlines the committment towards the campaign objectives and has been signed till now by over 200 Romanian non-governmental organizations, with focus on children protection groups, patients’ rights and medical associations.

ENSP has signed the Charter and invites all interested members and partners to support the initiative by doing so. Please contact ramona.brad@clearpoint.ro for further details.

Read more (Romanian)