Combating tobacco consumption: Community role

The Committee welcomes the Commission's intention to step up action to combat smoking. It agrees with the Commission that the Community is in a good position to promote a better overall strategy to combat smoking.The Committee draws attention to the need to target smoking prevention policy, particularly at children and young people. Information, instruction and health education are extremely important. There is also a need to recognize the socio-economic importance of the raw tobacco sector and to investigate ways of helping tobacco producers switch over to other agricultural products or to other activities outside agriculture. �