ENSP is an international non-profit association, created in 1997 under Belgium law, which aims to reduce tobacco consumption & to develop a common strategy amongst organisations active in tobacco control throughout Europe, by sharing information & experience, through co-ordinated activities & projects, by creating synergies among public health advocates thus increasing their capacity to direct their actions more effectively. ENSP acts as the lynchpin for its members creating a central cohesive force for the European tobacco control movement.
ENSP’s vision for the future is to eliminate the suffering of European citizens caused by ill health & early death due to tobacco-related diseases. We want children & young people to be able to grow up without being targets of tobacco industry marketing seeking to lure them into a lifetime of addiction. We want clean air unpolluted by tobacco smoke for all European citizens. ENSP’s strategic goal is to make our continent completely smoke-free by 2040 & our first objective is to work towards full implementation of the FCTC in Europe by 2020.
Given that tobacco control is at different stages in different European countries, ENSP applies the best & most effective evidence in policy & practice to work together towards a shared goal. ENSP members can take advantage of past experience in other countries & adapt such experience to their own needs. ENSP members work together to agree on a common policy & speak together in one voice, thus strengthening the European tobacco control effort & reinforcing European public health messages.
To eliminate the use of tobacco products in Europe, ENSP believes above all that all European countries need to implement comprehensive tobacco control strategies, including high taxes, comprehensive bans on direct & indirect advertising of tobacco, smoking bans in public & all workplaces, introduce strong & large (80%) textual & pictorial warnings on standardised tobacco packages.
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 activities that the Association conducts in order to attain its purpose are the following:
- to focus in priority on coordination and consensus building, education, prevention and cessation;
- to facilitate the creation and the development of national and international alliances for smoking prevention and tobacco control in Europe, as well as the support of their actions;
- to promote collaboration amongst Member organizations and support their actions;
- to stimulate and participate in joint projects at national and international level;
- to undertake the collection, distribution and exchange of information relevant for tobacco control to the members of the Network, non-governmental organizations, intergovernmental organizations, national governments all over Europe and the institutions of the European Union;
- to sponsor, promote and organize education and training seminars, conferences, missions, and exhibitions, on matters relevant to smoking and tobacco prevention and cessation.
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 tobacco-free Europe by the year 2040.
In 2014, we will focus on the ratification of the FCTC Illicit Trade Protocol and the implementation of articles 8 (smoke-free workplaces), 14 (cessation), 12 (communication) and 5.3 (industry influence), in support and complement of priority 4.2.3. of the EC Work Plan 2013 (Address health determinants to promote and improve health), and more specifically priority actions 4.2.3.3. (tobacco studies), 4.2.3.5 (support to the EU Health Forum), 4.2.4.1 (cancer control), 4.2.4.2. (non-communicable diseases), 4.2.4.3 (chronic diseases), and, secondarily, the ENSP activities will support and complement priority 4.3.2.2. (dissemination of information).
The European Network for Smoking and Tobacco Prevention (ENSP) is the unique 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 session in Uruguay when ENSP received the observer status (http://apps.who.int/gb/fctc/PDF/cop4/FCTC_COP4_DIV6-en.pdf), and by WHO Europe (http://www.ensp.org/sites/default/files/WHO_recognition_ENSP_20110509.pdf). ENSP comprises member organisations involved in tobacco control from EU MS, Switzerland, Norway, Georgia, Moldova, Turkey and Ukraine, and specialised professional networks like EFA and ENSH. The Network is in process of renewal and aims to cover the WHO-EURO region.
It is impossible to talk about FCTC in Europe without mentioning the involvement of at least one ENSP partner!
As the external evaluator concluded in 2012: “There is a need for ENSP at EU and country level, as ENSP is unique.
ENSP is unique because it is the only EU network of TC national coalitions. This raises its credibility with International, EU and national institutions and strengthens its political impact.
In continuity of 2013:
Focus on the FCTC Illicit Trade Protocol ratification & the implementation of articles 8 (smoke-free), 14 (cessation), 12 (communication) & 5.3 (industry influence), in support & complement of priority 4.2.3. of the EC WP 2013 (Address health determinants to promote & improve health), & more specifically priority actions 4.2.3.3. (tobacco studies), 4.2.3.5 (support to the EU Health Forum), 4.2.4.1 (cancer control), 4.2.4.2. (non-communicable diseases), 4.2.4.3 (chronic diseases), and, secondarily, 4.3.2.2. (dissemination of information).
In priority:
1) Policy:
A) Monitor the FCTC implementation process including follow up of actions held in 2013 (eg: COP6) & production of ENSP members’ “shadow” reports;
B) Support ENSP members’ actions to encourage MS to go beyond the provisions of the Tobacco Products Directive;
C) Follow the impact assessment, support legislative processes & developments towards a smoke-free Europe;
D) Monitor tobacco use & prevention policies implemented in the EU, & identify new angles for tobacco control actions in support the European Convention on Human Rights, the European Social Charter & the Council of Europe Convention for the Protection of Human Rights & Fundamental Freedoms;
E) Contribute to the EC EUHPF work with TC expertise.
2) FCTC Art 14 implementation at EU level:
A) Disseminate the European Smoking Cessation Guidelines (2nd ed) published by ENSP in 2013 (incl. translation into 1 specific EU language);
B) Continue developing the accreditation process & implementation of the ENSP quality standards in tobacco dependence treatment defined in 2013
3) Information:
Collection & distribution to ENSP members, NGOs, IGOs, nat gvmts & the EU institutions:
A) Maintain & update the ENSP website www.ensp.org, the ENSP Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/pages/ENSP-European-Network-for-Smoking-and-Tobacco-Prevention/195555830482640) & the Cause – End Tobacco in Europe (http://www.causes.com/causes/617334-end-tobacco-in-europe/about)
B) Map the FCTC implementation (prices, smokefree legislations,…) (including coord of ENSP members’ input)
C) Elaborate & disseminate a monthly ENSP bulletin/newsletter
D) Organize 2 technical & capacity building network meetings (including coord of ENSP members’ contribs)
E) Participate in conferences (ECToH, COP6,…)
F) Promote the World No Tobacco Day
4) European projects
Investigate possible participation & contributions to new European projects.
5) Operating the network
Intensify the membership & collaboration for a larger representativeness of the European health promotion & TC orgs in support of protecting the European citizens against tobacco:
A) Continuous membership development & update of the database & the corresponding access authorisations, with a specific focus on hospitals & health professionals;
B) Intensification of the national representatives & regents actions;
C) Organization of the annual general assembly in order to:
• Connect former & new members;
• Coordinate running policy & advocacy actions;
• Revise the ENSP Workplan 2014 according to the latest news & identifying the preliminary framework priorities for 2015 in continuity of 2014 to reach the 2020 objectives;
• Fix the general governance items which are necessary for the NGO daily life.
D)External evaluation in order to:
• evaluate whether ENSP performed in an effective & relevant way in 2014 to reach its two top priority objectives, which are (i) to have the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control implemented in Europe by 2020 & (ii) to reduce the prevalence of tobacco use in Europe to less than 5% by 2040.”;
•to elaborate recommendations for possible corrective measures.
This list of actions is not exhaustive. ENSP constantly adapts to priorities & agendas to bring the best up-to-date support to TC to contribute to reducing health inequalities. The ENSP members are actively involved in the work of the organisation on a daily basis.