Nono longer just traditional cigarettes. Today the debate on smoking also concerns e-cigarettes, heated tobacco devices and new products that continue to fuel nicotine addiction. It is from this awareness that the European Conference on Tobacco or Health (ECToH)the most important European event dedicated to anti-smoking policiesorganized for the first time in Italy by Smoking, electronic cigarettes and nicotine: Europe’s new battle for healthier citiesLT – Italian League for the Fight against Cancer. According to data released during the congress, in Europe i there are still 179 million tobacco and nicotine consumers and the deaths attributed to smoking reach 700 thousand every year. In Italy there are 12.4 million consumers, considering both traditional cigarettes and new generation products.
The European proposal: “de-nicotinized” cities
The theme chosen for the 2026 edition of the congress is “Nicotine-Free Spaces for Healthier Cities”: Nicotine-free spaces for healthier cities. The stated objective is transform urban environments into public health-oriented ecosystemsprogressively limiting the consumption of nicotine-containing products in shared spaces.
The strategy illustrated during the summit includes a progressive extension of smoke-free areas: not only schools and hospitalsbut also parks, public transport stops, streets and meeting places. In the viewfinder are not exclusively traditional cigarettes, but also aerosols produced by e-cigarettes and heated tobacco devices. “Cities must be environments that promote health, well-being and sustainability,” he said Juha Pekka Turunen, president of European Cancer Leagues, underlining how the diffusion of new products makes the issue even more urgent.
The Italian delay on new products
What worries experts above all is Italy’s regulatory delay. According to the Tobacco Control Scale – the European report that evaluates the anti-smoking policies of member countries – theItaly would have fallen from 18th place in 2021 to 32nd in 2025.
Among the reasons indicated are the still permissive rules on the advertising of alternative products to traditional cigarettes and the possibility of using them in many closed environments, including bars, restaurants and workplaces. The statement released during ECToH also underlines how the narrative of the “smoke-free future”, often associated with new devices, is considered by the organizers to be a commercial strategy of the tobacco industry. The spread of new products containing nicotine risks keeping addiction high, especially among younger people. The scientific debate on the topic remains open and involves health institutions, independent researchers and companies in the sector.
The European goal: a tobacco-free generation by 2040
European policies on tobacco control are part of the European Plan to fight cancer, presented by the European Commission in 2021, which aims to create a “Tobacco-Free Generation” by 2040 (European Beating Cancer Plan – European Commission).
The European plan foresees a significant reduction in tobacco consumption in the population and a greater protection of young people, considered particularly exposed to the early use of new nicotine-containing devices. Even theWorld Health Organization continues to indicate the tobacco as a major preventable cause of disease and mortality globally.
Prevention, young people and addiction
During the Milan conference, LILT reiterated the role of prevention as the main public health tool. «Prevention is not just a set of information campaigns or health interventions: it is one cultural and social vision», declared the national president Francesco Schittulli.
Particular attention is paid to younger people and to the growing diffusion of new forms of nicotine consumption, often perceived as less harmful than traditional cigarettes. On this topic, the international scientific community continues to discuss the long-term effects of emerging products.
There is not yet a definitive consensus on the long-term health effects of all new nicotine-containing devices, as many studies are still ongoing and the available evidence evolves rapidly.
