On 29 May 2026, a World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) workshop, “Promoting a healthier, tobacco-free future in Europe”, will take place in Madrid, Spain. This high-level regional workshop, organized by WHO/Europe in collaboration with the Smoke Free Partnership, European Network for Smoking and Tobacco Prevention and European Respiratory Society, together with Spanish organizations committed to tobacco control – the National Committee for the Prevention of Smoking, Nofumadores.org, Catalan Institute of Oncology and Spanish Association Against Cancer – will convene health leaders, government officials, youth advocates, academics and civil society partners from various WHO/Europe countries to confront the evolving tactics of the tobacco and nicotine industry.
The event also reflects the continued strong collaboration between WHO and Spain in advancing tobacco control and protecting public health across the WHO European Region.
Marking WNTD 2026, the workshop will provide a dedicated platform to expose how the tobacco and nicotine industry repackages and rebrands its products to attract a new generation. As Kristina Mauer-Stender, Regional Adviser on Tobacco Control at WHO/Europe, notes, “The tobacco and nicotine industry continues to reinvent its products and marketing tactics to appeal to youth. Protecting children and adolescents from nicotine addiction requires decisive regulation, vigilance against industry interference and strong cross-country collaboration to ensure that public health always comes before commercial interests.”
The event aims to foster dialogue among institutional, European and Spanish stakeholders on the future of tobacco control, with a particular focus on strengthening the regulation of emerging nicotine, tobacco and related products.
Key topics will include product regulation, industry interference and the regulation of advertising, promotion and sponsorship, especially in relation to strategies targeting young people. It will also serve as a platform for celebration of the 2026 WNTD awardees from the WHO European Region.