Health Commissioner John Dalli this morning took the EU's campaign against smoking to a playground in Zebbug, telling schoolchildren from St Ignatius College that it was far better never to start smoking than having to quit.
Speaking against the background of recent Maltese legislation making smoking in playgrounds illegal, Mr Dalli said the European Commission wanted to raise awareness among young people about the consequences of smoking.
"The most important thing is prevention, in this case by not starting to smoke. The most important thing is for people to stay health, rather than to have to seek treatment afterwards," he said.
Smoking, he pointed out, killed some 650,000 people in the EU every year. Some 29% of EU citizens are smokers. A further 13 million people in the EU suffer from serious diseases caused by smoking. Second-hand smoke causes 79,000 deaths a year in the EU.
Mr Dalli welcomed the Maltese legislation banning smoking in playgrounds. Anyone caught smoking will be liable for a fine of €232.
Second-hand smoke causes 79,000 deaths a year in the EU. This public health initiative launched last year, through which smoking has been banned in the playing fields in Malta, is an important step towards better protection for children from the harm of passive smoking.
Mr Dalli said he was pleased that more than 165,000 smokers are already actively using iCoach, the EU's interactive smoking cessation tool. iCoach offers support with practical tips and advice as you move through the stages of smoking cessation. This represents the first time an EU campaign has offered practical help.”
“I gave up smoking myself some years ago” said Commissioner Dalli, “and I know how difficult it can be. I believe that with this new campaign and supporting tool, we will genuinely be able to make a difference to people’s lives and help them become ‘unstoppable’.”
Commissioner Dalli also highlighted the success rate of the campaign in Malta, where over 20,000 people have engaged on the campaign’s social media tool, while over 1,500 smokers have registered with iCoach, making Maltese take-up rather high above the EU27 average. The iCoach is a core part of the campaign, launched in June 2011 across all EU member states, aiming to motivate smokers to stop.