Swiss umbrella organizations warn against ratification of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control

In the context of the eleventh Conference of the Parties (COP11) to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) currently taking place in Geneva, various groups are calling for Switzerland to ratify the agreement without delay. The Swiss umbrella organizations sgv and economiesuisse are firmly opposed to such ratification.

The Framework Convention provides for far-reaching and ideologically driven measures that go far beyond the protection of public health. At its heart are efforts to create a tobacco-free society - including through the drastic reduction of sales outlets, production and import quotas, the removal of all subsidies for tobacco cultivation, the banning of cigarette filters and ultimately a complete ban on the sale of tobacco products. Such measures are an expression of a prohibitionist ideology and have proven ineffective in the past - as the example of alcohol prohibition shows. They lead to a black market, crime and tax losses without sustainably reducing consumption.

The Swiss umbrella organizations are therefore appealing to the Federal Council and Parliament not to ratify the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). Switzerland should continue to focus on dialog, education and innovation - instead of bans and ideologies.

The FCTC is a dynamic agreement that binds Switzerland to an international decision-making process and restricts national sovereignty and democratic co-determination. Every two years, the conference adopts new measures that are binding for the signatory states.