On November 12th 2024, the Social Protection, Health and Family Commission in Moldova’s Parliament held a crucial debate on the draft Law no. 280, focusing on strengthening tobacco control measures. This meeting saw an intense discussion on the public health priorities of Moldova, where Svetlana Cotelea-Nicolaescu, Deputy secretary general of the Ministry of Health emphasized the urgent need to adopt stricter tobacco regulations.
One of the pivotal proposals included extending bans on smoking traditional cigarettes, electronic cigarettes, and hookahs in public spaces, alongside the introduction of a unique prohibition sign recommended by the WHO.The debate was not without resistance. Despite efforts by the President of the Commission, Adrian Belîi, to limit the tobacco industry’s involvement, industry representatives were present and actively attempting to convince legislators that Moldova should “be smarter than the EU” by avoiding stricter measures. Civil society, including Joachim Verheyen, a fellow of The School for Moral Ambition and working for Vital Strategies in Chișinău, openly expressed their shock at the industry’s presence in these discussions, which are supposed to be driven by public health, not corporate interests.
In a powerful intervention, ENSP General Secretary Cornel Radu-Loghin stood firm in defense of public health, ensuring the tobacco industry’s influence was stopped. Cornel’s statement resonated deeply with all present:
“As part of civil society, I want to tell you a few things. I have 30 years of experience in this field, of which 15 in Romania and 15 in Brussels. When Romania joined the European Union in 2007, it was the second EU country to put pictograms on cigarette packages, although this measure was not mandatory. The directive is not transposed to the letter, but as the Member State wishes. Please stop making arguments that are not real. Look at Belgium, look at the Nordic countries, at Ireland that have regulated the legislation more strictly than the European Directive provides. The directive sets a necessary minimum, from which countries can start. Moreover, this Directive is completely outdated and at the EU level the need to revise it is being discussed, because there the tobacco industry has also managed to influence this process.”
Cornel Radu-Loghin’s intervention dismantled the misleading claims from the tobacco industry, emphasizing that EU directives serve as a minimum standard, allowing countries to adopt stronger regulations to protect their citizens. He underscored that leading EU countries have already set a precedent by surpassing these minimums, calling on Moldova to do the same.
Tobacco consumption remains a leading cause of preventable death and disease in the EU, linked to cancer, cardiovascular, and respiratory conditions, with second-hand smoke and novel products posing additional...
On November 12th 2024, the Social Protection, Health and Family Commission in Moldova’s Parliament held a crucial debate on the draft Law no. 280, focusing on strengthening tobacco control...
It is our pleasure to invite you to the International Conference on School Hygiene, Health Promotion and Sustainable Development in Schools and Universities organized by the Research Center in...