Website of the Department of Health

The UK was a partner country in developing guidelines for the implementation of the FCTC Articles on smokefree, and on packaging and labelling of tobacco products. We continue to support development of guidelines on two further Articles – on the regulation of ingredients and emissions, and on demand reduction and smoking cessation. The UK is also involved in the international negotiating body to develop a protocol under the FCTC on reducing illicit trade in tobacco.

UK’s progress with the FCTC

Through effective tobacco control policies, the UK is meeting its obligations as an FCTC Party.

• Comprehensive smokefree laws were introduced in 2007 to protect people from the harms of secondhand smoke in virtually all enclosed public and work places.
• Picture warnings are now required on tobacco products to make the dangers to health of smoking clear.
• Draft legislation has been introduced to Parliament to remove tobacco displays in shops and to enable further restrictions on access to vending machines to protect children from tobacco promotion and to support people who smoke and who want to quit.
• Considerable progress has been made on agreeing a framework for the protocol on illicit trade including agreement on the need for a rigorous international system for the tracking and tracing of tobacco products from point of manufacture to point of sale.
• Work on developing guidelines on the regulation of tobacco ingredients and emissions is also progressing. There is agreement on the need for an international global data repository to facilitate analysis and comparison of data. Work is also in train on how laboratory capacity can be more effectively shared.
• We are working closely with other FCTC Parties to begin developing guidelines on how to effectively reduce demand for tobacco through effective smoking cessation.

FCTC guidelines

The FCTC requests the Conference of the Parties to propose guidelines for the implementation of the Convention. These guidelines aim to assist Parties in meeting their obligations under the Convention.

At its second and third sessions, the Conference of the Parties adopted guidelines for implementation of Articles 5.3, 8, 11 and 13 of the WHO FCTC – these are available from the DH website. The COP further requested four working groups to elaborate draft guidelines and recommendations for implementation of Articles 9, 10, 12, 14, 17 and 18 for consideration at its fourth session in 2010.

Third Conference of the Parties

The Conference of the Parties is the governing body of the FCTC and comprises all Parties to the Convention.  At the third Conference of the Parties to the FCTC held in 2008, the UK supported agreement on three new sets of guidelines:

Article 5.3 – Protection of public health policies with respect to tobacco control from commercial and other vested interests of the tobacco industry
Article 11 – Packaging and labelling of tobacco products new window 
Article 13 – Tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship

• More information on FCTC Guidelines is available on the World Health Organisation’s website (opens new window)
• Article 5.3 – Protection of public health policies with respect to tobacco control from commercial and other vested interests of the tobacco industry (opens new window)
• Article 8- Guidelines on the protection from exposure to tobacco smoke (opens new window)
• Article 11 – Packaging and labelling of tobacco products (opens new window)
• Article 13 – Tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship (opens new window)

European Directives

Much regulation of tobacco is carried out by the European Union. Member States are required to adopt the provisions of EU Directives. There are two separate EU Directives on tobacco: The EU Tobacco Presentation and Sale directive and the EU Advertising Directive.

EU Directive 2001/37/EC on the Manufacture, Presentation and Sale of Tobacco Products

This Directive is aimed at improving public knowledge about the composition and health effects of tobacco products. It achieves this aim through:

• establishing larger health warnings (30% of the front of the packet, 40% of the back)
• banning 'misleading descriptors' such as 'light' and 'mild' which give the impression that one tobacco product is less harmful than another
• laying down new regulations on the levels of tar (10mg), carbon monoxide (10mg) and nicotine (1mg) which a cigarette may yield, and requiring yields to be displayed on the packet
• requiring manufacturers to provide more information on the ingredients used in tobacco products. Manufacturers and importers must submit a complete list of ingredients used in their products once a year to the Department of Health.

The Directive became EU law on 18th July 2001, and UK regulations to transpose the Directive entered into force on 31 December 2002.

EU Directive 2003/33/EC on Tobacco Advertising and Sponsorship

This Directive was published in June 2003.

The Directive prohibits advertising with a cross border effect  in the following media:

• in the press and other printed publications;
• in radio broadcasting;
• in information society services; and
• through tobacco related sponsorship events or activities taking place in several member states of otherwise having cross-border effects.

It  came into force on 31 July 2005. The Directive effectively prohibits tobacco sponsorship of sporting events including Formula One car racing and Motocross motorcycle racing.

• Directive 2003/33/EC on the approximation of the laws, regulations and administrative provisions of the Member States relating to the advertising and sponsorship of tobacco products (opens new window)

World No Tobacco Day

World No Tobacco Day is an annual event sponsored by the World Health Organisation. The aim of the day is to spread information globally on the dangers of tobacco use.   The next World No Tobacco Day is on 31 May 2009.

• World No Tobacco Day 2008 (opens new window)