During 2021, 2.7 million EU residents were diagnosed with cancer and 1.3 million Europeans lost their lives to some form of the disease.

In order to combat the problem, the EU has presented a comprehensive Beating Cancer Plan, calling for €4bn in spending to improve prevention, treatment, and care.

One of the plan’s main priorities is to “ensure that less than 5% of the population uses tobacco by 2040”.

The formulation is an unfortunate one, according to tobacco harm reduction advocate Clive Bates, who served previously as the Director of Action on Smoking and Health in the UK.