A perfect example that EU officials can do more harm than help with their decisions is the preparation of changes regarding the sale of cigarettes, as well as other nicotine-containing products, including smokeless ones. Due to a lack of comprehensive knowledge on this topic – as experts note – one of the EU commissioners responsible for health policy in the “community” has shown himself. It concerns Health Commissioner Olivier Várhelyiema.
Does the EU commissioner mislead the public opinion?
The EU plan includes creating a “tobacco-free generation” by 2040. This is another idea of EU officials, after proposals such as near-total zero-emission. But that is a different topic unrelated to this. Let’s focus on tobacco products. The reaction in the academic community was triggered by words spoken by Health Commissioner Olivier Várhelyiema, who stated that cigarettes are exactly as harmful as smokeless products. From whom, but from the person responsible for health policy, one would expect to know what they are saying. It is hard to assess the competence of an EU commissioner, after all, policy has its own rules. In the Polish government, a member of parliament who did not know how many voivodeships there are in Poland is supposed to be responsible for tourism in our country – a small digression showing that competence does not always have to go hand in hand with the position held. What about the EU commissioner? Don’t judge me. His knowledge was evaluated by experts who sent a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. This group of 23 European medical authorities questioned the EU health commissioner’s knowledge. It concerns his statement on the European news portal Euractiv. The official was asked whether traditional cigarettes are as harmful as alternative tobacco products such as smokeless devices, and answered yes. When a journalist asked if he was sure, he added: “Yes, absolutely. Equally harmful.”
Scientists have a different opinion, believing that the EU official misleads the public, and this could have serious health consequences for Europeans.
Can EU policy harm the health of Europeans?
The group of experts who sent the letter to the European Commission President emphasized that there is no scientific basis to say that smokeless products are as harmful as cigarettes. On the contrary. As they point out, smoking traditional cigarettes is the most harmful form of tobacco use, due to inhaling smoke containing thousands of chemicals, including toxic and carcinogenic ones.
"We do not claim that these products are ‘safe’ or ‘harmless’ but that, beyond reasonable doubt, they are significantly less harmful than cigarettes," the letter’s authors wrote.
The difference mainly stems from combustion. In the case of e-cigarettes or nicotine pouches – as experts point out – there is no direct inhalation of cigarette smoke, which contains the most harmful substances. Experts note that throwing traditional cigarettes and other tobacco products into one bag can cause many negative effects. Among them is taxation with the same tax, which would encourage EU officials to discourage society from purchasing tobacco products. If that tax is the same for traditional cigarettes and other tobacco products that are supposed to be a less harmful alternative, it will not encourage a change in habits and smokers to take advantage of less harmful options.
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