Radio România Internațional

Tag: smoking

  • Initiatives and Measures against Smoking

    Initiatives and Measures against Smoking

    Romania was one of the last countries in the EU to ban indoor smoking. It was only this spring that Parliament endorsed a very strict law in this respect, stirring mixed feelings among the Romanians. While some welcomed the measure, smokers obviously criticized it, including even some MPs, who said they have to walk the long corridors of the worlds second-largest administrative building, the Parliament Palace, in order to get to the special outdoor smoking areas.



    Consequently, the Senates Healthcare Committee tabled a number of amendments to the anti-smoking law, which will be discussed in the current parliamentary session. In short, if the amendments were adopted, smoking would be allowed in any indoor location, on condition that proper signs were placed in the designated areas.



    Meanwhile, 42,000 people die every year in Romania because of smoking-related problems, such as heart and circulatory diseases, malignant tumours and respiratory complications. More than half of the teenagers over 16 years of age have smoked at least once, and one-third of them are regular smokers. In this context, authorities intend to reduce significantly the number of smokers in the next two decades. At an international conference on “2035 – Romanias first smoke-free generation, President Klaus Iohannis pleaded for prevention, as a priority in healthcare policies.



    Klaus Iohannis: “We can save lives by means of prevention. By focusing today on education in view of prevention, including awareness of the risks entailed by smoking, we can give future generations a chance to live a healthier life and make informed lifestyle choices.



    In turn, Healthcare Minister Vlad Voiculescu urged Deputies to dismiss the Healthcare Committees proposed amendments to the anti-smoking law:



    Vlad Voiculescu: “This is an attack against the lives of all citizens, whether employers or employees, clients or staff, children or adults. This is why I am confident that the Chamber of Deputies will address this mistake. Relaxing this law cannot lead to any positive results, in terms of public healthcare.



    In 2004 Ireland was the first European country to ban smoking in enclosed areas. All the neighbouring states wondered how the Irish were going to succeed in keeping smoking out of their lively pubs. The Irish accepted the measure and adapted to it. So did the citizens of other European countries. Why would Romania be an exception? The experience of the other countries has proved that the economic effects of such a drastic law are not unbeatable, whereas the benefits for citizens health are undisputable.

    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • September 5, 2016

    September 5, 2016

    PREMIER — While on a two day official visit to Munich, Romanian PM Dacian Ciolos meets Bavarian Speaker of Parliament Barbara Stamm and PM Horst Seehofer. He will be holding discussions with the German Committee on Eastern European Economic Relations, part of a round table on topics such as IT and telecom, joining representatives of chambers of commerce and German companies. On Sunday, Dacian Ciolos met business representatives. This is the premiers second visit to Germany this year. In January, he sat with Chancellor Angela Merkel and other German high officials on common goals part of the European agenda. Later this week, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis will also meet Chancellor Angela Merkel.



    CERN — Romanian President Klaus Iohannis today attended the ceremony marking Romanias adherence to the European Organization for Nuclear Research. According to the Presidency, Iohannis is accompanied by a delegation of Romanian researchers who already work with the organization, known as CERN. On July 17, 2016, Romania became the 22nd full member of CERN, the highest level nuclear research organization worldwide.



    G-20- The last day of the G-20 summit in China was dedicated to high level meetings, such as that between Barack Obama and Vladimir Putin. According to the Kremlin, the two heads of state discussed tensions in the east of Ukraine and the Syrian situation, which is still a matter of contention between the two countries. The Brexit was also an issue, considering the on-going negotiations for a free trade agreement between the US and the UK. European Council President Donald Tusk pointed out that Europe is at its limit in terms of taking in refugees, calling on the international community to contribute.



    PARLIAMENT — Back from summer break, the members of the Romanian Parliament are debating laws awaiting a final vote, such as the anti-smoking law, regulations on the activity of attorneys, healthcare regulations, alongside cuts to healthcare contributions. This parliament session ends ahead of the December 11 parliamentary elections.



    TENNIS — Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, 5th seeded, plays today against Spanish player Carla Suarez Navarro, 12th seeded, in the eighth finals of the US Open, the last Grand Slam of the year, with 22 million dollars in prize money. In the previous round, Halep defeated Hungarian player Timea Babos, 34th seeded, 2-1. In the doubles, the Romanian-Dutch pair Horia Tecau- Jean-Julien Rojer also play the eight finals against the Pakistani-Swedish pair Aisam-ul Haq Qureshi- Robert Lindstedt.



    FOOTBALL — Romanians national football team tied against Montenegro 1-all in Cluj, on home turf, in the first game counting towards the 2018 World Cup, to be held in Russia. This was the coaching debut of German Cristoph Daum, the first foreign coach of the Romanian national team. Also in Group E, Denmark defeated Armenia 1-0, while Poland tied against Kazakhstan 2-all in an away game. Romania has two more matches scheduled soon, on 8 October in Armenia, in Kazakhstan, on 11 October, and at home against Poland, on 11 November.


    (Translated by Calin Cotoiu)

  • Romania Has New Anti-Smoking Law

    Romania Has New Anti-Smoking Law

    Alarming data about the number of deaths caused by smoking in Romania prompted Parliament to pass a Law against smoking, initiated in 2011 and backed by a number of NGOs. The public debate on this project has been inspired from the best practice of European states. Smoking is completely banned in 17 out of the 28 EU countries in enclosed public spaces, on public transport and at the workplace.



    Nevertheless, Romanian MPs are divided over this law. 33 parliament members from all parties challenged the definition of “enclosed space where smoking is forbidden, which they see as discriminatory, and took the matter to the Constitutional Court. The Court dismissed the appeal on Wednesday, and ruled that the Law against smoking was constitutional. The head of state is now to sign it into law, and the act will take effect 45 days after its publication in the Official Gazette.



    Under the new law, smoking is banned in clubs, bars, restaurants, taxis, education institutions, hospitals and also in both indoor and outdoor childrens playgrounds. However, smoking restrictions will not apply to maximum-security prison cells and designated smoking areas in international airports. People who break this law will be fined up to 500 lei, while in the case of clubs, bars and restaurants the fine can go up to as much as 15,000 lei or the respective units can be closed down. There are several MPs however who disagree with the Courts decision. Cristiana Anghel, a Conservative Senator, is one of them:



    Cristiana Anghel: “In my opinion this law is ridiculous, in that it violates smokers rights. Germany, for instance, has reconsidered its decision and has allowed, among other things, those special smoking areas at the workplace, because labor productivity had decreased dramatically. But where there is a law there is no room for negotiation.



    Other MPs approve of the no-smoking law, which brings Romania in line with the other European states. Horia Cristian, a Liberal MP, argues in favour of the new legislation:



    Horia Cristian: “The Courts ruling came as no surprise, because it is not at all discriminatory. On the contrary, I believe that non-smokers have been discriminated against for a long time now. This is an important step forward for Romania and for its disease prevention strategy.



    The law against smoking has been appreciated by almost 80% of the participants in an opinion poll conducted this month in Romania. Three quarters of those questioned have said they dont smoke, four out of ten have tried to quit smoking, while one-fifth of them are planning to do that in the following month.

  • The economic effects of smoking

    The economic effects of smoking

    In Romania smoking is one of the main causes for illness and death. Over 42,000 people die every year because of smoking, of which two thirds are aged between 35 and 69. In 2011, the proportion of smokers accounted for 27%. Diseases associated with smoking are also very serious, ranging from cardio-vascular and brain disorders, TB, cancer and other respiratory disorders. Health is not the only factor affected by smoking, but also the economy.



    A recent study looking at the economic impact of smoking and tobacco consumption on the Romanian healthcare system tried to assess the amount of state spending required for the treatment of people suffering from smoking-related illnesses. The cost is covered by the national healthcare system and includes the new treatments applied for these diseases. Doctor Magdalena Ciobanu, an expert with the Health Ministry, told us more about the results of the study:



    “Subsidised medication, consultations with a specialist or a family doctor, as well as all in-hospital investigations required to diagnose these diseases have not been taken into account. For this reason, the costs proposed by the study are lower than the real spending. Even so, expenditures surpass the revenues from the so-called ‘vice tax’ levied on tobacco products. Therefore, the state spent nearly 1 billion euros on treating illnesses stipulated in the healthcare plan, of which 250 million euros was used to treat smoking-associated disorders. This led to a deficit of 25 million euros in 2012. In reality, this deficit is much bigger, its exact value being too difficult to ascertain due to the lack of data”.



    Accordingly, 28% of state funds allotted to treating diseases are spent to treat smoking-related illnesses. Dr. Magdalena Ciobanu told us more:



    “When saying that smoking causes lung cancer, for instance, or leads to heart attack, the extent to which smoking is to blame varies from one disease to another. Not all cases of lung cancer or heart attack are caused by smoking. In the case of lung cancer, 86% of the cases are caused by smoking. For this reason, the study comprises two categories of expenses: the total and the sums spent on smoking-related illnesses”.



    Founded in 2006 with the purpose of combating the excessive use of tobacco and alcohol, other than beer and wine, the “vice tax” turned out to be both inefficient and deficient. A number of recommendations issued by the World Health Organisation must be implemented as well, such as: monitoring tobacco consumption, protecting the population against the effects of smoking, providing support to people who wish to quit smoking, advertising the dangers associated with smoking, banning the promotion of tobacco consumption and increasing taxes levied on tobacco. But are these measures truly applied in Romania? Magdalena Ciobanu explains:



    “All these six measures are indeed applied, although not to their full extent. Important steps were taken in 2007 and 2008, following Romania’s EU accession. Progress was made in 2008 in two key fields — increasing taxes on tobacco products and providing support to people who wish to quit smoking. The other fields saw no spectacular progress, although these are strictly legislative measures we’re talking about. They don’t require any clear-cut investment from the state, but merely a sign of goodwill from Parliament. The best example in this respect is the law forbidding smoking in public places. The draft law has been on Parliament’s agenda ever since 2011, and the Chamber of Deputies has failed to vote on it to this day”.



    European institutions might provide additional support for combating smoking. In April this year the Commission issued a Directive on Smoking. MEP Cristian Busoi is a member in the EU Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety:



    “The revised tobacco directive tackled a sensitive and heated subject in the European Parliament. In December last year the Parliament and the Council managed to reach a compromise on this matter, so the revised directive was published in the Official Journal this year. Member States have two years to implement this directive, which requires public health warnings to cover 65% of the front and back of cigarette packs. Any flavoured tobacco products are henceforth banned, in addition to certain additives, such as caffeine, vitamins, colouring agents and other substances facilitating the aspiration or absorption of nicotine. In addition, the directive has additional requirements regarding the shape and content of cigarette packs, forbidding the use of visual elements that might mislead consumers”.



    European Institutions hope these measures would result in a decrease in the number of smokers and diminish the appeal of smoking among young people.