Germany’s Christian Democrats (CDU) and their Bavarian sister party, the CSU, have backed a plan to phase out tobacco advertising in outdoor areas from 2022, reports DW.
The move marks a break with the group’s longstanding opposition to restrictions on tobacco advertising.
A policy paper endorsed by the bloc’s parliamentary group on Tuesday said the move was necessary to confront “the biggest avoidable health risk of our time.”
Germany is the only EU country that still allows tobacco advertising in public spaces. The paper proposes that tobacco ads on outdoor posters and billboards be curbed from Jan. 1, 2022. It also calls for a ban on cigarette advertising in cinemas from 2021, on tobacco heating product ads from 2023, and on e-cigarette advertising from 2024.
Tobacco advertising is already banned in magazines, newspapers and on TV and radio in Germany. With the proposed bans in place in the future, advertising will still be allowed in other areas, such as inside tobacco shops, or at national sporting events.
Around 120,000 people die annually from smoking-related causes in Germany, according to medical authorities.
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