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  • Environment, Liability Remain Focus as COP11 Concludes

    Environment, Liability Remain Focus as COP11 Concludes

    The Eleventh session of the Conference of the Parties (COP11) to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control closed in Geneva after six days with a reported 1,600 participants and 160 Parties, delivering a series of major decisions aimed at strengthening global tobacco control. Delegates focused heavily on environmental protections, sustainable funding for tobacco control programs, and forward-looking regulatory strategies addressing emerging nicotine products.

    Among the more significant conclusions was a decision urging Parties to consider stricter regulation of tobacco and nicotine product components—including cigarette filters, electronic devices, and other materials that contribute to environmental pollution. COP11 also reaffirmed domestic resource mobilization as essential for sustainable tobacco control, and advanced efforts under Article 19 of the treaty, encouraging countries to strengthen civil and criminal liability mechanisms targeting the “harms caused by the tobacco industry.” Delegates further considered novel approaches allowed under Article 2.1, signaling readiness among Parties to adopt measures beyond the treaty’s minimum requirements.

    COP11 also adopted a decision calling for a total ban on the use and sale of all tobacco products and emerging nicotine products—including heated tobacco, e-cigarettes, disposable vapes, and nicotine pouches—across all United Nations premises worldwide. Discussions also emphasized the growing importance of Article 5.3, which shields policymaking from tobacco industry interference amid rising concerns about marketing tactics for new nicotine products. The conference concluded with the announcement that COP12 and the next Meeting of Parties to the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products will convene in Yerevan, Armenia, in 2027.

  • EU Considers Cigarette Filter Ban Ahead of WHO COP11, Sparking Industry Concerns

    EU Considers Cigarette Filter Ban Ahead of WHO COP11, Sparking Industry Concerns

    A proposal to ban cigarette filters is reigniting debate across the European Union, with public health advocates backing the move while several member states and industry players express hesitation. The draft EU position, prepared ahead of the WHO COP11 meeting in Geneva next month, highlights the potential of a filter ban to reduce smoking appeal, however, countries including Germany and Italy have opposed implementing the measure within the bloc.

    According to Eurativ, “a European Commission spokesperson has since clarified that the measure would not apply within the EU. However, despite resistance from some countries, the latest draft of the EU’s position retains a reference to a global filter ban, suggesting the EU executive may want to keep the option for future application in Europe.”

    Filters, the EU says, are a major source of environmental pollution, with the WHO estimating 4.5 trillion cigarette butts discarded annually worldwide. Gijs van Wijk of the Smoke Free Partnership called filters a “deceptive design feature” and urged regulators to consider similar restrictions for e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products.

    Making cigarettes harsher and less attractive theoretically makes sense, says Tadas Lisauskas, the CEO of Greenbutts, a company that focuses on eliminating the ecological impact associated with cigarette filters, but he points to decades of research that shows filters keep significant amounts of particles out of smokers’ lungs.

    “Public health must be grounded in science and practical outcomes—not symbolism,” Lisauskas said. “On closer inspection, a filter ban is both illogical and counterproductive.

    “Unfiltered cigarettes would reintroduce hazards society moved away from generations ago. A policy intended to protect public health should not expose consumers to additional, immediate physical harm.”

    The filter ban proposal comes amid broader regulatory pressure on the tobacco sector, including proposed excise tax hikes and the TEDOR levy, which could raise €11.2 billion annually.