Deputy premier says Moldova to advance in fighting smoking only by joining efforts of state, civil society

Chisinau, 28 March /MOLDPRES/ - Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration Iurie Leanca today chaired an ordinary meeting of the National Coordinating Council in Tobacco Control Sector  (CNCCT). Attending the event were representatives of the state institutions in charge of the implementation of the National Plan on Tobacco Control for 2017-2021, as well as representatives of the civil society, the government’s communication and protocol department has reported.  

The agenda of CNCCT included subjects on the process of implementation of the provisions of the law on tobacco control, actions due to be undertaken by the authorities to join the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products to the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, challenges of the consumption of IQOS/electronic cigarettes/narghilea, considering the situation on the application of bans for the sale of tobacco products in trade units with an area smaller than 20 square metres.      

At the beginning of the meeting, the deputy prime minister reviewed the main progress and problems faced in the enforcement of the legislation and combating the tobacco consumption.   

"Tobacco consumption continues to be a big challenge for Moldova, with serious consequences on the public health and demographic security. Although numerous measures have been undertaken to remedy this national problem: the level of informing about the risks of smoking has increased, ban on smoking in public institutions and places, increase in taxes on tobacco products, the advertising of tobacco products was banned, we still have deficiencies in terms of observance of the legislation in force, possibility of carrying out controls, interference of the tobacco industry with public policies, spread of new tobacco products and toleration of smoking in public places,” Iurie Leanca said.   

The deputy prime minister thanked the public authorities and civil society for involvement in combating smoking among pupils and teenagers from Moldova. ”We will advance in the fight against this vice only by joining efforts of the state’s institutions and the civil society, just as it was possible in 2014, when smoking was restricted in public places,” Leanca noted.  

In the context, the deputy prime minister came up with a proposal to set up a working group due to analyze the European experience on the sale of tobacco articles in booths, so that the participants in the next meeting present an informative note, due to comprise concrete actions, which are to be implemented by the competent central authorities and the local public authorities.   

Following discussions, the participants agreed to jointly undertake more actions:   

- The Interior Ministry, along with the Health, Labour and Social Protection Ministry will ensure the finishing and promotion of the needed set of documents for Moldova to join the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products to the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control not later than the third quarter of 2019, with the operation of the concerned amendments to the Law 278/2007 on tobacco control, with the inclusion of the aspects of regulating the new tobacco products, especially the tobacco which does not burn;

- The central and local public authorities (Chisinau city hall) will implement and carry out, according to their powers, the stipulations of the Law 278/2009 on tobacco control, with the preparation of detailed informative notes on the implementation of the provisions of paragraph 6, Article 25 – prevention of minors’ access, by the next meeting of the Council, including with the aspects regarding the re-placement/re-orientation of the units which sell tobacco products with an area less than 20 square metres, situated at a distance smaller than 200 metres from education and medical institutions;  

- The Health, Labour and Social Protection Ministry will provide needed support to the World Bank for the objective evaluation of the indexes related to the tobacco control sector for the disbursement of the budgetary support for the modernization of the health system;  

- The Finance Ministry will consider, in the context of working out the goals of the fiscal and customs policy, and will propose to increase the specific excise duties on the tobacco products and related products, including on the new tobacco products (electronic cigarettes, IQOS – warmed tobacco, narghilea), with their adjusting to the level of the traditional tobacco products.   

The next meeting of the National Coordinating Council in Tobacco Control Sector  will take place approximately in late May 2019, on the occasion of the World No Tobacco Day.