The 13th World Conference on Tobacco OR Health

Objective: Progress in tobacco control in Germany has been very slow. In the past, the tobacco industry formed strong ties to German political decision-makers and the medical/public health establishment which have been hard to undo. This is compounded by the fact that, until now, nearly all chancellors and presidents of the German Federal Republic had been smokers. Thus, Germany is lagging far behind the other Member States of the European Union (EU) in effective tobacco control legislation. Worse than this, Germany actively impedes progress in tobacco control within the EU and, therefore, of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). This presentation introduces the forces, primarily the German Smoke-Free Alliance (GSA), which have rallied to promote effective tobacco control measures in Germany.

Methods: The GSA consists of leading German non-governmental health organisations including the Federal Association for Health, German Center for Addiction Issues, German Cancer Aid, German Lung Foundation, German Cancer Research Center, Federal Medical Association and German Cancer Society. At present, the activities of GSA are focused on the establishment of a comprehensive law to protect non-smokers and implementation of EU-directives as well as the provisions of the FCTC. In support of its efforts toward legislation, GSA organizes activities related to World No Tobacco Day, issues certificates for youth campaigns that are free of tobacco money and awards a prize for smoke-free films.

Results: The impact of these efforts will be discussed as well as lessons for other countries which might face obstacles similar to those encountered in Germany.