ENSP is an international non-profit association, created in 1997 under Belgium law (ID 16377/97), which aims to reduce tobacco consumption and develop a common strategy amongst organisations active in smoking prevention and tobacco control throughout Europe, by sharing information and experience, through coordinated activities and projects, by creating synergies among public health advocates thus increasing their capacity to direct their actions more effectively. ENSP acts as the lynchpin for members creating a central, cohesive force for the European tobacco control movement.
Our vision is a future where our fellow Europeans will not suffer ill health and early death caused by tobacco. We want children to be able to grow up without being targeted with messages that seek to lure them into a lifetime of addiction. We want all Europeans to be able to breathe clean air unpolluted by tobacco smoke. We aim to make our continent completely smoke-free by 2040.
As we communicate more freely and cross country borders more frequently, we are aware that our countries do not stand alone: tobacco control is at different stages in all European countries, so ENSP undertakes to use the most effective evidence in policy and practice to work together towards a common goal. Members can use past experience in other countries and adapt such experience to their needs by joining the ENSP network. ENSP members collaborate to agree on a common policy and speak in one voice, thus strengthening the European tobacco control effort and reinforcing European public health messages.
To eliminate the use of tobacco products, ENSP believes that all European countries need to implement comprehensive tobacco control strategies, including high taxes, comprehensive bans on direct and indirect advertising of tobacco, smoking bans in public and workplaces (including the hospitality sector), introduce strong text and pictorial warnings on tobacco packages and move towards standardised packaging.
Since its creation, ENSP has committed to support the implementation of the European Commission efforts to improve and promote health in the frame of the Europe Against Cancer Programme first, then followed by the Public Health Programmes.
Indeed, in line with the objective 2 of the Public Health programme (promoting health, including the reduction of health inequalities), ENSP aims to reduce tobacco consumption and to develop a common strategy amongst organisations active in smoking prevention and tobacco control in Europe, by sharing information and experience and through co-ordinated activities and projects.
The main activities that the association proposes in order to attain its aims are through communication and coordination, and by carrying out the following objectives:
- To facilitate the creation and operation of national alliances for smoking prevention and tobacco control in Europe;
- To promote, support and facilitate collaboration amongst Member organisations;
- To stimulate and participate in joint projects at European level;
- To facilitate networks active in tobacco control and smoking prevention in Europe;
- To undertake the collection and distribution of information relevant for tobacco control to the members of the Network, non-governmental organisations, intergovernmental organisations, national governments and the institutions of the European Union.
The network facilitates synergies among its members and with the EU, WHO, European and international health organisations. We serve as a platform of best practices, for policy analysis, advocacy, research and capacity-building.
All our activities target the full implementation of FCTC at local, regional, national and European levels, so that the European citizens can live in a smoke-free Europe by the year 2040.
In 2012, we will focus on the FCTC articles 8 (smoke-free workplaces), 14 (cessation), 12 (communication), 5.3 (industry influence), and the corresponding guidelines and protocols, in support and complement of priority 3.2.2. of the EC Work Plan 2011 (Addressing health determinants to promote and improve health), and more specifically priority actions 3.2.2.2 (Communication campaign on cessation), 3.2.2.3 (tobacco industry strategies), 3.2.2.4 (tobacco product directive).
The European Network for Smoking and Tobacco Prevention (ENSP) is the only truly pan-European network active in tobacco control being the key grassroots organisation in implementing the WHO-FCTC at European level. This was acknowledged by the FCTC - COP during the last session in Uruguay (November 2010) when ENSP received the observer status (http://apps.who.int/gb/fctc/PDF/cop4/FCTC_COP4_DIV6-en.pdf), and by WHO Europe more recently (http://www.ensp.org/sites/default/files/WHO_recognition_ENSP_20110509.pdf). ENSP comprises over 400 member organisations involved in tobacco control, represented by national coalition representatives from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Georgia, Ukraine, and specialised professional networks (EFA, ENSH, EUNS). The Network is still extending to cover the WHO-EURO region.
It is impossible to talk about FCTC in Europe without mentioning the involvement of at least one ENSP member!
The ENSP activities foreseen for 2012 are based on the Logical Framework Analysis (LFA) including situation analysis, strategy analysis, project planning, implementation and evaluation.
In 2012, ENSP will focus on the FCTC articles 8 (smoke-free workplaces), 14 (cessation), 12 (communication), 5.3 (industry influence), and the corresponding guidelines and protocols, in support and complement of priority 3.2.2. of the EC Work Plan 2011 (Addressing health determinants to promote and improve health), and more specifically priority actions 3.2.2.2 (Communication campaign on cessation), 3.2.2.3 (tobacco industry strategies), 3.2.2.4 (tobacco product directive).
In priority:
1) Policy:
ENSP will continue to serve as a platform for best practices, policy analysis, advocacy, research and capacity building. The secretariat and the members will be involved at a daily basis in supporting the EU health programme obj 3.2 by:
A) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) implementation and monitoring process including active participation from the observer status to the INB5 (funded by the EC) and COP5;
B) contributing to the revision of Directive 2001/37/EC;
C) supporting legislative processes and developments towards a smoke-free Europe (see EP resolution of 23/11/09 and the EC Roadmap for the legislative initiative to improve the health of workers by preventing the exposure at the workplace of workers to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS);
D) monitoring tobacco use and prevention policies at EU level by further developing the identification of how tobacco control legislation is enforced in the EU;
E) supporting the European Partnership against Cancer (Tobacco`s role in increasing the chance of lung cancer is one of the most widely known of tobacco`s harmful effects on human health);
F) Contribute to the EC EUHPF work with tobacco control expertise.
2) FCTC Art 14 implementation at EU level:
This part of the ENSP work programme will specifically complement the EU Communication campaign on tobacco prevention (obj. 3.2.2.2) focused on young adults between 25 and 34 years of age, by:
A) Development of the European Smoking Cessation Guidelines (ESCG)
B) Definition of the ENSP quality standards in tobacco dependence treatment (ENSP-QS)
C) Analysis and elaboration of possible collaboration with the EU campaign "Ex-Smokers..." following specific requests
3) Information:
The ENSP secretariat will undertake the collection & distribution of info relevant for TC via:
A) ENSP website www.ensp.org;
B) ENSP Facebook profile: http://www.facebook.com/pages/ENSP-European-Network-for-Smoking-and-Tobacco-Prevention/195555830482640;
C) participation in conferences and co-organising ECToH;
D) organisation of a technical network meeting;
E) WNTD public events in EU;
F) Media outreach.
4) Operating the network
The ENSP Secretariat will take all necessary actions in 2012 to implement the new structure decided by the GA in October 2011, starting with:
1. Inventory of the existing membership on 01 January 2012 (coalitions and coalitions` members), update and maintenance of the database and the corresponding access authorisations also in relation with the new membership categories;
2. Confirmation/Nomination/Selection of national representatives/regents;
3. Call to new membership (priorities: Germany, Italy, Malta, UK + Croatia, Moldova, Russia) and corresponding management and possible travels;
4. Organization of the first General Assembly meeting in the frame of the new structure, in order to:
a. Connect former and new members;
b. Coordinate actions in the process of the revision of the Directive 2001/37/EC;
c. Revise the ENSP Workplan 2012 according to the latest news and identify the preliminary framework priorities for 2013 in continuity of 2012 to reach the 2020 objectives;
d. Fix the general governance items.
5. Improvement of the general communication and administrative processes and tools (eg: email lists, accountings, communication tools).