Brussels, Belgium (June 28, 2025) — The We Are Innovation global network and Path to Smoke-free unveiled a new report titled “The EU Case for Innovative Nicotine Products”. The report explores how Sweden, Czechia, and Greece achieved the EU’s fastest smoking declines, demonstrating what kind of approach the rest of the EU could take in order to accelerate its process towards a smoke-free future.
According to the Special Eurobarometer 539 – Attitudes of Europeans towards tobacco and related products, 24 percent of Europeans still smoke, and the slow rates of decline suggest that the EU will only achieve a smoke-free status (a smoking rate of 5 percent or less) in 80 years, which means 60 years after its target, defined for 2040. Yet, some success stories are keeping hope alive.
In Scandinavia we can find Europe’s smoke-free pioneer. Sweden’s current smoking rates are at just 5.4 percent, resulting in 36 percent fewer lung cancer deaths than the EU average and thousands of saved lives. The reason stands on a revolutionary approach that combines traditional anti-smoking measures with policies that make innovative nicotine products (INPs) accessible, acceptable, and affordable. Oral nicotine products have been becoming increasingly popular in the country and longitudinal studies confirm that the vast majority of oral nicotine users are former smokers who successfully transitioned away from cigarettes.
Czechia’s case also deserves to be highlighted, as the country achieved Europe’s fastest decline in smoking, dropping seven percentage points in just three years (from 30 percent to 23 percent). The main causes for this lay in coordinated harm reduction policies across all government ministries, from clinical recommendations to fair taxation. Such a comprehensive approach has turned stagnation into sharp descent.
Greece stands out for cultural reasons. This country, which used to be associated with heavy smoking for a long time, achieved a 14 percent reduction in smoking rates between 2020 and 2023, corresponding to approximately 600 000 smokers. After years of prohibitionist policies that kept smoking rates alarmingly high, several policy shifts based on clear regulatory frameworks and science-based relative risk claims are demonstrating that, when it comes to fighting smoking, any country can reverse its course.
Outside of the EU, other nations are also showing that blending tradition and innovation is the best path towards a smoke-free future. Countries like the United Kingdom, Japan and New Zealand are successfully reducing their smoking rates through providing viable alternatives to cigarettes alongside traditional measures.
The EU has the opportunity to choose. It can continue following its current anti-smoking policies, and wait for 2100 to become smoke-free – or it can take some inspiration from success stories and accelerate the process. The change can start at any time, it is just a matter of decisionmaking.
ENDS
ABOUT PATH TO SMOKE-FREE
Path to Smoke-Free is a comprehensive analytical platform developed by We Are Innovation that reveals how countries can harness innovation to defeat smoking and accelerate their journey toward smoke-free status. Drawing from Sweden’s remarkable success in dramatically reducing smoking rates far below global averages—we identified three key elements: Accessibility, Acceptability, and Affordability of innovative nicotine products. Our platform combines comprehensive policy data with real insights from Swedish ex-smokers, offering interactive tools to compare how countries are harnessing innovation to defeat smoking. The platform features powerful forecasting charts that project smoking prevalence and when countries will reach smoke-free status under three scenarios: current policy trajectories, outcomes if countries matched Sweden’s success rate, or results following the combined pace of leading nations. Policymakers, researchers, and health professionals can explore evidence-based strategies that could help their countries reach smoke-free targets faster, guided by proven success stories. Discover how your country could accelerate its journey to smoke-free status at https://pathtosmokefree.global/.
ABOUT WE ARE INNOVATION
We Are Innovation is a dynamic network of individuals and institutions who deeply believe in innovation’s power to drive progress and solve the world’s most pressing problems. With 50 think tanks, foundations, and NGOs based worldwide, We Are Innovation represents the diverse voices of a global civil society committed to advancing human creativity, adopting new technologies, and promoting innovative solutions. Through our collaborative approach and cutting-edge expertise, we are driving global transformative change. To learn more about our work, visit us at https://weareinnovation.global/.
