This year’s World No Tobacco Day theme, “Unmasking the Appeal: Exposing Industry Tactics on Tobacco and Nicotine Products,” emphasises the need to dismantle the illusion of harmlessness created by sleek packaging, digital marketing, and flavour additives. The event serves as a critical moment to reaffirm collective commitment to protecting public health, particularly among youth, and to strengthen the implementation of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.

To raise awareness of the tobacco industry manipulative tactics, the WHO Regional Office for Europe, in collaboration with partners the European Respiratory Society, the Spanish Association Against Cancer, the European Network for Smoking and Tobacco Prevention, and the Smoke Free Partnership, hosted the high-level regional workshop. The event also serves as an opportunity to honor the recipients of the 2025 World No Tobacco Day Awards from the WHO European Region, awarded to individuals and organisations that have demonstrated exceptional commitment to tobacco control.

In recognition of his leadership in advancing tobacco control, Mr Frank Vandenbroucke, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Social Affairs and Public Health of Belgium, was awarded the prestigious 2025 World No Tobacco Day Award.

“We need to protect our youth and children from the dangers of tobacco and vapes. The vape is a product which is invented by the tobacco industry to get a whole new generation of young people addicted. And that has to stop. In Belgium, we have therefore stepped up the fight against the tobacco industry in recent years and we are currently working on a flavour ban on vapes. However, we can take measures at home, but coordinated action at EU level is key to make them really successful. Vapes are a danger to all European youngsters and children. That's why I am, together with my Dutch colleague Minister Karremans, asking the European Commission to take up the fight against these pernicious products.”

Also speaking at the event, Mr Vincent Karremans, Minister for Youth, Prevention and Sport of the Netherlands, emphasised the critical need to protect young people from aggressive marketing tactics designed to foster early addiction.

"It our responsibility to do whatever possible to protect our children and young adults against the all the damages of nicotine and tobacco products. That is why we recently launched an ‘action plan against e-cigarettes’ in the Netherlands and my colleague Vandenbroucke and I sent a joint letter together with 10 other member states to the EU Commissioner for Health and Animal Welfare. In the letter we expressed our concern over the delay in the revision of EU tobacco legislation. And we urged the Commission to act swiftly to protect youth from the growing threat of tobacco and nicotine products".

Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe, reaffirmed the urgent need to address the rising threat of youth-targeted nicotine products.

"As cigarette markets shrink under tighter regulation, the tobacco industry is pivoting to sleek, youth-targeted e-products—fuelling a surge in adolescent use,” said Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe. “This is not a marginal issue—it’s a looming public health emergency. Despite limited resources and legal threats from the industry, we face this challenge with science, truth, and unity. Today, we honour five individuals from across our diverse European region as they receive the 2025 World No Tobacco Day Award. Hailing from Armenia, Austria, Belgium, Greece and Uzbekistan, they are all champions of health and defenders of youth. The tobacco industry may be powerful, but together, we are stronger. The future must be free from tobacco and nicotine addiction.”

By focusing on the tactics that make tobacco and nicotine products attractive and accessible to youth, this workshop encourages bold, coordinated action to close regulatory gaps. It reinforces WHO Europe’s broader goal: a tobacco- and nicotine-free future, driven by policy, informed by evidence, and protected by collective resolve.

Recent data underscores the urgency of this issue. According to the 2022 HBSC study, 18% of 15-year-old boys and 20% of girls in Europe reported using e-cigarettes in the last 30 days.

This troubling trend correlates with an increase in traditional cigarette smoking in the EU among youth aged 15 to 24, which rose from 20% in 2020 to 22% in 2023, according to Eurobarometer, which was released in 2024. These figures point to a growing public health concern, particularly among Europe’s youngest populations. In this context, it is more important than ever to recognise and support those who are leading the fight against the tobacco industry’s influence.

With over 700,000 preventable tobacco-related deaths occurring each year in Europe, the magnitude of this public health crisis is undeniable and the fight is far from over. As the tobacco and nicotine industries relentlessly target youth with ever more sophisticated tactics, it is crucial to strengthen policies, raise awareness, and empower communities to resist. On this World No Tobacco Day, the call to action is clear: we must stand united to protect the next generation and secure a healthier, tobacco-free future.