BRUSSELS, May 28 (Xinhua) -- The European Commission is launching the
second phase of its "HELP for a life without tobacco" campaign to mark the World
No Tobacco Day.
On May 31, three new anti-smoking TV spots will be shown on over 100 TV
channels across Europe for one month and repeated during September, said the
commission.
The TV spots, developed with young people, use humor to deliver three
serious messages: Don't start smoking, how to quit smoking and dangers of
second-hand smoking.
"Today, a third of all Europeans are smokers and although we have seen a
decrease in recent years, we must continue to prevent young people from taking
up this deadly habit. I hope our efforts to de-glamorise tobacco through
pictorial warnings and engaging young people through the HELP campaign will lead
to a new generation that says no to tobacco," said European Union (EU) Health
Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou.
Tobacco remains the largest single cause of premature death and disease in
the EU, causing more than 650,000 premature deaths in the region each year,
which corresponds to about 1,800 deaths a day.