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Capital increase for EIF boosts finance for COVID-19 impacted companies and strengthens support for green and digital transformation of the EU economy

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  • The shareholders of the European Investment Fund (EIF) have approved a 64% increase of the EIF’s share capital from €4.5 billion to €7.4 billion. 
  • The EIF’s capital increase will bring substantial additional resources to scale up support for the SME financing market, and venture and growth capital activity.
  • The capital increase will enable the EIF to play a key role in rolling out InvestEU, the EU’s investment programme for 2021-2027, thereby also supporting the green and digital transformation of the EU economy.
  • As part of the EIB Group’s response to the COVID-19 crisis, the EIF is also putting in place significant packages to support small businesses across Europe.
  • The EIF had another record year in 2020, signing operations with a total volume of €12.9 billion benefiting Europe’s economy.

The shareholders of the European Investment Fund (EIF) have approved a 64% increase in its total authorised capital from €4.5 billion to approximately €7.4 billion. With this decision, the General Meeting of shareholders – the European Investment Bank, the European Union represented by the European Commission and 38 public and private financial institutions – gave a strong signal to further extend EIF activity to support European businesses, in particular SMEs, through a series of innovative financial products.

As a result of the capital increase, the EIF will be well-placed to mobilise significantly greater financial support, facilitating access to finance for SMEs and small midcaps, and strengthening the venture and growth capital ecosystem in Europe. The EIF will be well equipped to continue pursuing EU policy objectives, help roll-out the InvestEU programme and in particular finance the green and digital transformation of the EU economy. This will be implemented through a diverse range of products including guarantee instruments, securitisation, micro finance and a reinforcement of the private equity and venture capital business which remain key axes of SME financing support.

The capital increase will help EIF to deploy a significant portion of the new €26 billion InvestEU programme of the European Union, thereby contributing to a wide array of EU policy goals. In parallel, the EIF is well-placed to roll-out SME-focused activities including the EIB Group’s €25 billion Pan-European Guarantee Fund, an initiative aiming to shield businesses against the damaging effects of the pandemic.

EIB Vice-President and Chairman of EIF’s Board of Directors, Dario Scannapieco said: “The EIB Group has been at the forefront in the fight to tackle coronavirus both inside and outside the EU. We are delighted to have strengthened the Group through a decisive increase in EIF’s delivery capacity, allowing it to address the urgent needs businesses are currently facing across the European Union and boost their growth going forward.”

European Commission Executive Vice President, Valdis Dombrovskis said:  “I am very pleased that, together with the EU, the other EIF shareholders agreed to strengthen this Fund. This means that the EIF will be fully equipped to implement the InvestEU programme, to help EU businesses in emerging out of the crisis, and to support the green and digital transformation of the EU economy.”

EIF’s Chief Executive, Alain Godard welcomed the strong support of EIF’s shareholders: “The need for EIF support for businesses is now more pressing than ever. The capital increase gives us more firepower to support Europe’s businesses and to address the economic fallout of the COVID-19 crisis. Our mission to support SMEs across Europe remains crucial to stimulating growth, employment and innovation in Europe. In addition to alleviating the effects of the crisis, this capital increase will help us to better address Europe’s ambitions in the fields of digitalisation, innovation, social cohesion and green transformation.”

The EIF has been innovating with new instruments and initiatives in areas from space tech and artificial intelligence, to inclusive finance and social impact, channelling private capital towards public policy objectives. Last year, the EIF had another record year, signing operations with a total volume of EUR 12.9 billion – an increase of 26% on 2019. In 2020, by efficiently multiplying the effect of public resources, the EIF generated much-needed financing for more than 370,000 SMEs and small mid-caps, sustaining around 2.8 million jobs.

The COVID-19 crisis has a strong impact on the EIF’s business and the demand for EIF products. For both business lines, debt and equity, the demand for most EIF products has sharply increased and – due to the magnitude of the economic challenge – a quick reaction to supply and implement decisive measures was commensurate.

Background information:

The European Investment Fund (EIF) together with the European Investment Bank, form the European Investment Bank group. The EIF’s central mission is to pursue the objectives of the EU in supporting Europe’s micro, small and medium-sized businesses, notably by helping them to access finance, achieve growth, innovate, digitalise and perform in a green economy. EIF designs and develops both venture and growth capital, guarantees and microfinance instruments which specifically target these market segments.

Extension to Ratify Trade and Cooperation Agreement Makes Sense Both for UK and EU, Analyst Says

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Extension to Ratify Trade and Cooperation Agreement Makes Sense Both for UK and EU, Analyst Says

Dr Richard Wellings, acting research director at the British think-tank the Institute of Economic Affairs, shared his views with Sputnik on the recent developments in the post-Brexit relations between the UK and the EU. 

Sputnik: We’ve heard countless tirades over the shortcomings of the deal with the EU. In the meantime any deal would have brought about an economic setback, not to mention the ongoing pandemic. So how much better off could we have been in the long run?

Dr Richard Wellings: I think Brexiteers were always very honest that there would be teething problems in the short term after Brexit, that there would be an adjustment process. But their view is that the long-term benefits will far outweigh any short-term costs and they will come from freer trade with the rest of the world and also from the freedom to reduce the huge burden of EU regulation on the UK’s domestic economy.

Sputnik: PM Boris Johnson’s Brexit policy representative David, Lord Frost, confirmed that the European parliament was now expected to request an extension to the two-month period to ratify the Trade and Cooperation Agreement. When ratified, how will it affect both parties’ businesses?
Dr Richard Wellings: The extension in a way makes sense because we’re in unusual times now because of the pandemic. In usual times, UK businesses would have found it much easier to find partners in the rest of the world to buy cheaper goods and services from outside the EU. But unfortunately, that’s not so easy at the moment because of the pandemic. And also, both the UK and the EU are facing supply chain problems. In fact, these are global supply chain problems because of the pandemic. So, we have problems with shipping capacity and so on, and delays at the ports. I think this extension really makes sense for both parties.  


©
AP Photo / Brian Lawless
Trucks leaving Larne Port, in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2021

Sputnik: It was reported that Brussels will offer only a three or six-month extension to “grace periods” to ease supermarket supply chains and parcel deliveries to Northern Ireland instead of a requested delay to 2023. What are the chances that the Northern Ireland Protocol will be successfully renegotiated?

Dr Richard Wellings: I think there will be pressure for this issue to be resolved from both the Republic of Ireland and from the UK, and that’s because of the terrible history of conflict in Northern Ireland. I don’t think any party wants to return to that kind of conflict. So, one hopes that the present problems can be resolved. And there has been evidence in recent weeks that we’ve heard of tensions growing in Northern Ireland with some of the paramilitary organisations rearing their ugly head again. I think there’ll be pressure from both sides not to make this a huge issue and really affect either the EU or the UK. And Northern Ireland isn’t particularly important from an economic perspective: it has a very small economy in the overall scheme of things. And it’s not an obvious route to, if you like, smuggle unchecked goods into the rest of the EU because it obviously makes no sense from a geographical perspective to do that.

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            The views and opinions expressed in the article do not necessarily reflect those of Sputnik.

‘Constellation’ of post-COVID symptoms will impact global healthcare, says WHO 

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‘Constellation’ of post-COVID symptoms will impact global healthcare, says WHO 

“We know that this post-COVID-19 condition – or as some patients also call it ‘long COVID’ and some clinicians call it ‘long COVID’ – is a heterogenous group of symptoms that occur after the acute illness”, said Dr. Janet Diaz, Team Lead, Health Care Readiness at WHO. 

“So, these are symptoms or complications that can happen potentially a month after, three months after, or even six months after, and as we are learning more, we are trying to understand the real duration of this condition.” 

Mental and physical ills are ‘real’ 

Citing reported symptoms such as neurological and physical illness, Dr. Diaz noted that an unspecified number of sufferers had been unable to return to work, once they had recovered from the acute sickness caused by the new coronavirus. 

“We are concerned obviously with the numbers of patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 virus that the numbers…just by the magnitude of the pandemic, will impact health systems.” 

Although comprehensive data on the condition is not yet available, the WHO official insisted that “these (symptoms) were real”.  

“Some of the “more common” ailments were “fatigue, exhaustion and post-exertional malaise, cognitive disfunction”, along with what some patients called “brain fog”, Dr Diaz said, describing a “constellation of symptoms”.  

Complications 

Further research is also needed to drill down into how many COVID-19 sufferers who did not require intensive care unit (ICU) treatment still went on to develop the condition. 

“What we know this far is that patients experiencing (a) post-COVID-19 condition could have been hospitalized patients, those in the ICU. So, we do know that has happened in patients who are very sick, but also in patients who were not managed inside the hospital…they have had complications and they have had persistent symptoms or new symptoms…or symptoms that waxed and waned, that came and went after their acute illness.” 

To promote a better understanding of post-COVID sickness and support patient care and public health interventions, the WHO has called on clinicians and patients to report data on symptoms to the Organization’s Clinical Platform.  

The case report form – which is available in multiple languages – has been designed to report standardized clinical data from individuals after they have left hospital or after recovering from acute illness. 

“What we don’t know is why it’s happening, so what is the pathophysiology … of this condition…the researchers are really working hard to get to the answers of these questions,” Dr. Diaz said. 

Vaccine deal inked 

In a related development, UN Children’s Fund UNICEF announced on Friday a deal to distribute the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, potentially before the end of March.  

The agreement is on behalf of the COVAX platform, primarily for developing nations, set up by the WHO,  The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance. 

“This supply agreement allows UNICEF to procure up to 40 million doses that have been secured under the COVAX Facility’s Advance Purchase Agreement with Pfizer/BioNTech to be available throughout 2021”, the UN agency said in a statement.  

Emergency use approved 

The Pfizer-BioNTech jab was the first to receive WHO Emergency Use Listing (EUL) on 31 December 2020.  

It requires ultra-cold chain storage facilities which UNICEF has secured with partners to support governments in their roll-out of a variety of COVID-19 vaccines, it said. 

As of Friday 12 February 2021, WHO’s coronavirus tracker reported 107,252,265 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 2,355,339 deaths. 

Regionally, the Americas have seen most cases to date, with 47,814,602 infections, followed by Europe (36,132,951), South-East Asia (13,141,859), Eastern Mediterranean (5,951,021), Africa (2,694,171) and Western Pacific (1,516,916).

The Great Chick Corea last words to continue joy of creating

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Juan Sanchez Gil
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His last words

“I want to thank all of those along my journey who have helped keep the music fires burning bright. It is my hope that those who have an inkling to play, write, perform or otherwise, do so. If not for yourself then for the rest of us. It’s not only that the world needs more artists, it’s also just a lot of fun.” wrote the legendary Chick Corea before his departure on 9 february 2021, due to a rare cancer that abruptly interrupted his genius.

Spanish connection

With the “Concierto de Aranjuez” as his base, the percussion and vocal caress of Brazil and the flamenco guitar of Paco de Lucía as his ally, Chick Corea was one of the great pioneers who knew how to successfully incorporate his Latin heritage into international jazz.

23 Grammys

He has the fourth highest number of Grammy nominations, 65, of which he received 23, as well as four Latin Grammys, three of them in the “instrumental album” category, more than any other artist, specifically for the albums “The Enchantment” (2006), “Forever” (2010) and “Further explorations” (2011).

In addition to these, “The Vigil” (2013) was awarded “Best Latin Jazz Album”, but before arriving there, in the last part of his life, the road he had travelled had been prolific and extensive when it came to gathering his family heritage and projecting it to the world.

A personal side…

Born Armando Anthony Corea (Chelsea/USA, 1941) into a family of Italian descent, he learned the fundamentals of the genre as the son of a trumpeter named Armando J. Corea and took his first professional steps alongside figures such as Dizzie Gillespie and Miles Davis. One of his drive was since the 70ies the “Joy of Creating“, an article written by L. Ron Hubbard, founder of the Scientology religion, which Corea embraced since the 70s after reading the book Dianetics. In fact he directed and participated what was announced as the “Stay Well Concert“, organized and broadcasted at the Scientology Network, where he wanted to transmit a sense of positivity in times of COVID-19.

From Miles Davis to Flamenco

Back to his historic and background, the influence of Miles Davis’ “Sketches of Spain” must have been strongly engraved in his ear, since twelve years after the release of that emblematic album, he also took Joaquín Rodrigo’s “Concierto de Aranjuez” as a musical idea around which to orbit to create a historical piece, “Spain”.

He had previously released the no less referential “Return To Forever” (1972) with the group of the same name, which included another emblematic song of his production, “La fiesta”, with which he had opened the way to an encounter with flamenco.

He continued to investigate in the same direction, both on the band’s next album, “Light As A Feather” (1973), which included the aforementioned “Spain”, and on “My Spanish Heart” (1976), a very personal project that once again combined Hispanic tradition and electronic modernity.

Warm and wild at the same time

Warm and wild at the same time, between soft “pianissimos” and abrupt tempo changes, it contained pieces like the ambitious suites “Spanish Fantasy” and “El Bozo” or the amusing “Armando’s Rhumba”, with his hand-clapping in the background.

Some of these themes became anthological pieces of his production and it was not unusual to see him reinterpret them hand in hand with other icons, as was the case with Herbie Hancock in the albums they released together at the end of that decade.

As for the influence of flamenco in her music, this was even more evident in “Touchstone” (1982), in which she had the guest guitar of Paco de Lucía in the middle of a repertoire full of songs with Spanish names, see “Duende“.

Compadres

Among a large list of collaborators from the Latin music scene, such as Carles Benavent, Don Alias and Álex Acuña, that album also allowed her to return with some of her former colleagues from Return To Forever, such as Stanley Clarke, to produce the song “Compadres“.

He never strayed completely from the path he himself had set out and it was not unusual to see him return to it, as with the aforementioned “The Vigil” (2013), or when he released another of his most acclaimed albums, “Corea.Concerto: Spain For Sextet & Orchestra / Piano Concerto No. 1” (1999), which featured Avishai Ochen and once again turned his gaze to “Spain”, considered by many to be the best composition of his career.

You can watch the 1 hour video documentary “Chick Corea: In the mind of the Master” here, where he presents his latest album Antidote.

Bulgarian Specialized Prosecutor’s Office Launches Probe into Misuse of EU Funds

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Bulgarian Specialized Prosecutor’s Office Launches Probe into Misuse of EU Funds

The specialized prosecutor’s office has initiated pre-trial proceedings for illegal receipt of funds from European Union mainly under measures administered by the State Fund “Agriculture”.

In the course of the investigation against an organized crime group on February 11, a total of 18 searches and seizures were carried out in various properties on the territory of Sofia and the municipalities of Godech and Kostinbrod, the press center of the prosecutor’s office announced.

Investigations were carried out in office premises in the municipality of Godech, as well as in the regional food safety agency (BFSA) – Sofia district. Numerous papers, documents and wads of cash were seized during the searches. Several people are detained for a period of 24 hours, it is said in the laconic report.

Investigation is going on

Earlier, unofficial information came that the mayor of Godech, Radoslav Assenov, had been taken for questioning to the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office on Thursday morning.

According to a source of 24 Chasa daily from the town near the Serbian border, the state prosecution and Anti-Corruption Commission for Illegal Assets Forfeiture are working on a case involving subsidies for a livestock farm, with which the mayor has a connection.This is a story from a few years ago.

The farm was inspected by the BFSA-Sofia district, where prosecutors started a probe yesterday. According to the locals, the director Dr. Leonid Lavchev is on close terms with the mayor Assenov and some time ago he even was a jury in a horse pageant in the municipality.

International scam with memory cards uncovered in the Netherlands, VAT fraud

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Europol - Other bodies and agencies
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The criminal network defrauded Dutch tax authorities of an estimated €9 million

On 10 February 2021, the investigation service of the Dutch tax authorities -FIOD (Fiscale Inlichtingen en OpsporingsDienst) busted a criminal network involved in international VAT fraud with electronic devices traded via an online company. Fraudsters established a complex trading scheme with Secure Digital (SD) memory cards for electronic devices, which is believed to have defrauded the Dutch treasury of an estimated €9 million between 2017 and 2019. The international sting involved the collaboration of judicial and law enforcement authorities in Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland with the support of Europol and Eurojust. During the action day, investigators carried out thirteen house searches and seized communications equipment and documents. 

A complex missing trader intra-community fraud (MTIC) 

The illegal VAT scheme consisted in the suspicion of a fake trading circuit of memory cards involving a string of companies in the EU. The criminal gang purchased SD cards with VAT from Dutch companies identified as missing traders. The goods were then sold to companies in Croatia, and the Czech Republic and exempted of VAT according to intra-EU tax rules. To evade tax payment, the scheme finally used conduit companies based in Croatia and Poland to sell back the VAT-exempt goods to the missing traders in the Netherlands. 

The organised crime group also used “buffers” to conceal the illicit transaction chain. These companies purchased the SD cards from the missing traders and only paid VAT on a small margin made from the transactions. As a common practice in MTIC fraud the payment for the transactions was made in advance. It is believed that over the past three years, at least eight missing traders in the Netherlands were involved in this fraud. The criminal gang integrated this so-called ‘VAT carousel fraud’ into the regular commercial activity of an online company selling electronic devices in order to avoid paying VAT. 

Europol Support

Europol actively supported the operation by providing analytical support and operational coordination for an effective cross-border cooperation. Moreover, Europol deployed a mobile office in the field to support the Dutch authorities in real-time. 

Europol’s European Financial and Economic Crime Centre (EFECC) helps with identifying and dismantling organised criminal networks involved in cross-border VAT fraudand the tracing and confiscating of the proceeds of MTIC fraud. MTIC is committed through a chain of linked companies when the fraudsters sell goods or services from one EU country to another, taking advantage of the fact that it is legitimate not to charge VAT on such cross-border transactions. MTIC scammers obtain €60 billion in criminal profits every year in the EU by avoiding the payment of VAT or by corruptly claiming repayments of VAT from national authorities. 

Compendium of Resources to respond to the global problem of trafficking in human beings

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OKoehler
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Compendium of relevant reference materials and resources on ethical sourcing and prevention of trafficking in human beings for labour exploitation in supply chains

The objective of the Compendium of Resources is to take stock of the existing legislation, policies, guidelines, recommendations, reports, studies, and other types of initiatives developed to better understand and respond to the global problem of trafficking in human beings through its prevention in supply chains. The resources included in the Compendium do not represent by any means an exhaustive list and are only intended to illustrate the initiatives identified by the OSCE Office of the Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings during the development of this project. The Compendium is intended for the use by government officials involved in policy making, as well as businesses and other stakeholders interested to learn from current practices in order to further enhance their own measures on ethical sourcing and the prevention of human trafficking in supply chains.

Compendium of Relevant Reference Materials and Resources on Ethical Sourcing and Prevention of Trafficking in Human Beings for Labour Exploitation in Supply Chains

Irish family-based gang targeted in probe into €4 million laundering

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Europol - Other bodies and agencies
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On 10 February, the Criminal Asset Bureau of the Irish National Police (An Garda Síochána) took action against a criminal gang suspected of large-scale money laundering. 

Fund transfers in excess of €4 million were identified from other jurisdictions to Irish bank accounts linked to members of this criminal network. The gang is believed to have made this money from illegal activity across Europe. 

The search operation in the cities of Tipperary and Kilkenny involved searches of 4 residential properties and 1 business premises, as a result of which €100 000 in cash and a car worth €75 000 were seized. A total of 16 bank accounts linked to members of the crime group were also frozen. The accounts contained cumulative funds of €540,000. 

Such results were made possible thanks to the model of non-conviction based forfeiture operated by the Irish Criminal Assets Bureau.

International Asset Recovery

International cooperation is essential for the successful recovery of assets hidden abroad. Europol’s position at the heart of the European security architecture helps facilitate such a mechanism.

In this case, Europol’s European Financial and Economic Crime Centre (EFECC) pieced together the intelligence provided by different countries on this one same criminal network and put all the involved countries around one table. 

The partners have since worked closely together on this case to uncover the actual magnitude of the criminal activity of this gang and to establish a joint strategy for the final phase of the investigation.  

The European Investment Bank and Raiffeisenverband Salzburg support regional companies with a further €100 million

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Newsroom
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Raiffeisenverband Salzburg (RVS) and the European Investment Bank (EIB) are intensifying their cooperation. Due to high demand for loans, RVS has signed a further €30 million financing agreement with the EU bank. This is the first tranche of an overall sum of €50 million for which RVS has secured the EIB’s agreement. To provide clear impetus for investment in the region, the new loan volume will also be doubled by Raiffeisen Salzburg to €100 million in the coming years.

The two banks have been working closely since 2017. Over this period, RVS has been cooperating with the EU bank directly to support companies in the region by granting loans on favourable terms. Projects that meet EIB criteria enjoy low interest rates. Since 2017, the EIB has granted promotional loans totalling €100 million to selected projects as part of this cooperation, with RVS doubling this amount to €200 million.

The scope of the EIB’s refinancing is broad: in previous years, the low-interest EU loans went towards supporting new expansion and modernisation projects conducted by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the state of Salzburg and neighbouring regions, with a focus on environmentally friendly investment. These initiatives included renovation projects at tourism companies, which have reduced their CO2 emissions significantly thanks to new heating and ventilation technologies, thermal insulation and/or the use of energy management systems. The funds were also used for switching to energy-efficient production machinery and processes as well as constructing low-energy buildings for commercial use.

These newly signed agreements place even greater emphasis on climate action, with a particular focus on innovation. These favourable refinancing packages are primarily intended for companies operating in innovative fields and investments in pioneering products and processes.

Salzburg-based businesses and their future are particularly important to RVS General Manager Dr Heinz Konrad: “Small and medium-sized enterprises in particular form the backbone of the local economy. They create jobs and provide young people with training, thereby safeguarding the success of future generations. Even amid today’s economic challenges, we intend to keep looking to the future and ensure that increasingly important issues such as sustainability and business continuity do not fall by the wayside. Thanks to this refinancing, we can support our clients’ projects by granting medium- and long-term loans with favourable terms, while keeping red tape to a minimum.”

EIB Vice-President Thomas Östros added: “In the current difficult economic climate, marked by the COVID pandemic, we must ensure that access to fresh capital is not blocked. Against this backdrop, I am particularly pleased that we are stepping up our cooperation with Raiffeisenverband Salzburg, especially since the new funds have an even greater focus on financing climate action. Tackling the crisis and climate change are absolute priorities for the EIB, the EU bank.”

Background information:

Raiffeisenverband Salzburg

Raiffeisenverband Salzburg (RVS) is on the one hand a regional universal bank and on the other hand the regional headquarters of the Raiffeisen banking group Salzburg and is, together with the 41 independent Raiffeisen banks and a total of 119 bank branches, the largest banking group in the state of Salzburg. Since May 1st, 2020 Mr. Heinz Konrad is CEO of the Raiffeisenverband Salzburg.

New WHO report reveals urgency of confronting tobacco use among women

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A new report by WHO/Europe about women and the tobacco epidemic has been launched. The report, “Through a gender lens: women and tobacco in the WHO European Region”, has revealed that, although tobacco use among women is decreasing overall, the rate is going down at a much slower pace than in men, and in some countries it is increasing.

The global noncommunicable diseases action plan includes a target to reduce global prevalence of tobacco use by 30% by 2025 relative to 2010. However, estimates project the Region will miss this target entirely and will be the only WHO region in the world expected to fall short, by as much as 3.8%, of the 30% relative reduction target among women.

In light of these figures, it is important to refocus tobacco control efforts across the Region to actively confront tobacco industry attempts to hook women and girls on tobacco products and to promote gender-transformative policies as a high priority.

The tobacco industry is finding innovative ways to promote its deadly products to women, such as via social media influencers and the funding of women’s groups. Old tactics of gendered product design and packaging remain a challenge for tobacco control. Substantive action on this element of tobacco marketing is critical to tackle the high smoking rates among women and girls.

There is a pressing need for interventions that prevent the uptake of smoking among girls. The tobacco industry is actively aiming at young women and girls in a number of ways to encourage addiction to tobacco products, so early prevention is crucial. The situation is challenging: WHO estimates that 12% of girls aged 13–15 are current tobacco users in the Region – 1.5 times the global average of 8%.

Women advocates have been at the frontline of the struggle against tobacco for generations, pushing to prioritize the empowerment of women and girls in the face of the public health crisis. Margaretha Haglund has been working tirelessly for action on women and tobacco throughout her career. She was President of the International Network of Women Against Tobacco (INWAT) from 1997–2006 and has worked as an expert for thinktanks and governments, implementing women-tailored policies for tobacco prevention and cessation.

“This publication can be an important tool to inspire countries to implement gender-sensitive strategies in tobacco control,” she says. “So far, not enough countries have taken action, so inspiration is hugely important. Sharing examples of the tobacco industry’s marketing towards women and girls and information on novel products are particularly welcome.”

Significant obstacles – the tobacco industry and lack of political will

Mrs Haglund identifies 2 significant obstacles for women-focused tobacco control that she has encountered in her career: the tobacco industry itself and lack of political support for tobacco control action. “The tobacco industry uses the lack of political will to stop, delay and weaken tobacco control legislation,” she says, “The industry is gradually becoming aware that the conventional cigarette will no longer be accepted by society due to its dramatic effects on health, environment and economy. Therefore, we’re also seeing an increase in ‘pure’ nicotine products, flavoured to entice new generations into nicotine addiction.”

Mrs Haglund emphasizes a central strategy for fighting against the tobacco industry: the importance of countries ratifying and observing the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), a treaty adopted by the World Health Assembly in 2003, in full. “There is no magic bullet to reduce smoking prevalence in women,” she says. “But all countries need the same thing: the implementation of the FCTC at its highest level.”

The WHO FCTC is a strong policy framework that covers every angle of tobacco control. One of the most significant elements of the treaty is Article 13, which advocates a comprehensive ban on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship (TAPS). This is an important policy plank for countries to consider, which would close the loopholes that allow the continued promotion of tobacco products to women and girls. Nonetheless, as of 2019, only 7 countries in the Region had a comprehensive ban on all forms of direct and indirect tobacco advertising.

Protecting women from the harms of tobacco is enshrined in the WHO FCTC as a guiding principle which declares “the need to take measures to address gender-specific risks when developing tobacco control strategies” (Article 4.2.d). To support this, countries should ensure tobacco control data is gender-disaggregated, and that questions of gender are mainstreamed throughout all policy, planning and decision-making.

“Through a gender lens: women and tobacco in the WHO European Region” also highlights the need to tailor interventions to different groups of women. This means using an intersectional lens that understands that “women” is not one homogeneous group, but that women’s experiences overlap with a great number of social determinants of health and identities. Successful strategies to reduce women’s smoking prevalence are sensitive to these contexts. They are also gender-transformative and challenge – rather than reproduce – harmful gender stereotyping in their campaigns and messages.

The health situation for women and tobacco in the Region is deeply concerning: many countries are behind the curve in challenging the deadly strategies of the tobacco industry. But examples of best practice in tobacco control are readily available, and concrete steps forward can be taken to turn the tide on tobacco. With strong political will, it is possible to ensure the health and well-being of women and girls across the Region.

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