Tobacco and tobacco consumption seriously affect public health and annually take thousands of lives of citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina. On this year’s World No Tobacco Day the message is clear: we must limit the impact of tobacco on human health.

One lesson of the Covid-19 pandemic is how fragile our health is. And with that, it has made us more aware of the many risks in our surroundings that endanger our well-being. One of them surely being consumption of tobacco products.

The European Union has set a very clear objective – to create a smoke-free generation in Europe, where less than 5% of people use tobacco by 2040. Considering that overall smoking prevalence among adults in Bosnia and Herzegovina is over 40 percent, legislative and other effective measures in tobacco control are urgently required.

Thus, we urge all the relevant authorities in BiH to ensure adoption of legislation in the area of tobacco control aligned with EU acquis and to fulfil the long pending EU recommendation, on ratification of the protocol eliminating illicit trade in tobacco. Once adopted, we expect full enforcement of all measures.