Cypriot to crusade against smoking by movie heroes

SILVERSCREEN heroes will be non-smokers from now on if the new European Commissioner for Health has his way.

He wants every one of the EU members to follow Ireland’s example and ban cigarette smoking in public places, including pubs and restaurants, inside five years.

The Cypriot, who will take over from Ireland’s David Byrne next month, says he hopes to convince Europe’s film industry to remove all cigarette smoking from films and television programmes.

“The hero of a film should not be a smoker. I would like to work with the cinema industry to avoid this sort of thing. The same is true for television. If a programme glorifies smoking, it should not be shown at times when it can be seen by young people,” Markos Kyprianou said yesterday.

The incoming commissioner’s hero, however, is Ireland - the first country in the world to introduce such a widespread ban on smoking.

“I follow closely the very noble initiatives in this respect in Ireland and I hope that by the end of my period in office, all Europeans will be able to achieve a similar level of protection,” he told the European Parliament, which will have to approve his appointment.

“There was no greater scourge to be battled against than smoking and cigarettes. Europeans deserved to be protected against the effects of smoke both at work and in public areas.

“In countries where smoking has been banned, the results have been very positive,” he said.

Mr Kyprianou promised to show the same level of fearlessness in tackling the powerful tobacco industry as shown by Mr Byrne. He has introduced a wide range of measures, including bigger warnings on tobacco products, advertising limits, and, over the next few years, picture warnings including cancer-ridden lungs. “I have no problem taking on the tobacco industry,” he said.

Smoking is not the only health danger Mr Kyprianou believes needs to be tackled. Too much drinking and over-eating are also in his sights.

“I am particularly concerned with the protection of young people from the dangers of unreasonable consumption of alcohol, as well as tobacco and the risks of obesity. I think we need to address these risks at a very early age in human life,” he said.

While the EC has no powers in the area of health and cannot decide to impose a smoking ban, it can encourage member states to take action and make proposals in areas such as advertising.

Norway and Malta have introduced smoking bans similar to Ireland’s.