The tenth edition of the WHO report on the global tobacco epidemic (1), released in June 2025, presents the latest comparative data to assess global, regional and national progress in protecting people from the harms of tobacco use. To support evidence-based policy dialogue in the WHO European Region, a set of measure-specific factsheets has been developed, each summarizing the implementation of one MPOWER component. This factsheet provides an overview of the status of the P — Protect people from tobacco smoke measure as of 2024.

Key messages
The number of countries in the WHO European Region in which all public places are completely smoke-free (or
at least 90% of the population is covered by subnational smoke-free legislation) increased from four in 2007 to 18 in 2024 (1). Still, two thirds of countries in the Region have more lenient laws that do not adequately protect people from the dangers of second-hand smoke (Fig. 1).

What should be done?

• As indicated in Article 8 of the WHO FCTC, each country should “adopt and implement [...] measures, providing for protection from exposure to tobacco smoke in indoor workplaces, public transport, indoor public places and, as appropriate, other public places” (2).
• Ensure clear, comprehensive smoke-free legislation, with no exemptions, clear enforcement responsibilities and fines for violations (3).
• Involve civil society to achieve effective legislation. Effective partnerships and stakeholder engagement are powerful tools for coordinating advocacy and strengthening political will.
• Raise awareness to ensure early adoption and smooth implementation of smoke-free legislation.
• Monitor implementation and compliance, and measure the effect of smoke-free environments (1).
• Ensure indoor smoke-free places do not exempt electronic nicotine delivery systems, electronic non-nicotine delivery systems and heated tobacco products from a ban (4).