Task force countries:  14
Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Latvia, Malta, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom

Started in 1993, the project seeks to involve pharmacists in smoking cessation programmes in the communities they serve.  From 1997 onwards, much information on the project has been disseminated in the form of articles in national pharmaceutical journals, lectures at conferences, educational meetings, and poster presentations.

In 1999 the publication "Pharmacists and action on tobacco" (Smoke-free Europe 12) detailed various types of smoking cessation activity that can be implemented at national level.  It includes the Pharmacists Charter on Action against Smoking (1996).

In 2002 a new cooperation began with the international Quit and Win contest.  A question concerning pharmacists' activities was added to the international evaluation form and national pharmaceutical organizations were encouraged by the task force manager to be active in their national Quit and Win organizations.

The survey "Pharmacists against smoking" was carried out in 12 EU countries from September 2000 to September 2001.  The aim was to collect information about the attitudes of community pharmacists towards tobacco dependence, about their actual activities in this field and to gather information about their smoking habits.  A research report on the survey was published in February 2002 entitled "Pharmacists against smoking" .

The new European Strategy for Tobacco Control was accepted at the Regional Committee meeting in 2002.  This document emphasises the importance of the work of health care professionals in smoking cessation among other activities.

During the 12th World Congress on Tobacco or Health a special session for pharmacists was organized together with FIP and The Association of Finnish Pharmacies.  This session was well accepted with over 100 participants and a global forum for pharmacists against tobacco was established. This global forum is hosted by FIP.

At the "WHO informal meeting of health professional organizations and tobacco control" in January 2004, health professionals adopted this new code of action and agreed to promote it among themselves and their organizations.

The EuroPharm Forum task force will continue to work by activating member associations to take up activities on tobacco issues.  Collaboration with PGEU has been discussed in this area.