Apples, Not Tobacco Addiction for Children!

Pavel Antonov

This year’s WHO World No Tobacco Day feels grim for tobacco control advocates. On this day, we declare our readiness for active protest actions!

Originally published in Bulgarian at Bluelink.net

It is grim because our hopes have once again been shattered – this time by the Parliamentary Health Committee, which on May 29, 2025, refused to approve amendments that would have closed long-standing loopholes in the Health Act, serving instead the interests of the tobacco industry.

It is not the first time that decision-makers have chosen to serve the interests of big money – in this case, very big money that reeks of tobacco and death. Yet in recent months, there had been signs of cracks in the wall of silence surrounding them.

As usual, a tragic incident became the catalyst for action: on January 1, 2025, a 14-year-old boy in Pleven died after using a vape. His death unleashed a wave of public outrage. The premature loss of around 20,000 Bulgarian lives each year due to smoking-related causes is horrifying! Bulgaria remains a persistent “leader” in the European Union in this type of mortality, with thousands dying annually because of tobacco use – whether active or passive – according to global public health studies. In Western Europe, the same indicator is two to three times lower. One in four Bulgarian teenagers aged 13–15, and one in three teenage girls, are already enslaved by this deadly addiction.

The name of the child who died in Pleven remains unknown. But in recent days, the name of another innocent young victim has sparked a strong public outcry: Siyana. Her death brought road accident victims to the forefront of public debate. For comparison, according to Ministry of Interior data for 2024, road accidents claimed 478 lives and injured 9,054 people.

The horrifying loss of human life in both cases stems from the same cause – Bulgarian institutions paralyzed by dependency and corruption. A state captured by private interests continues to cost Bulgaria thousands of lives.

Similar to road safety regulations, the supposedly comprehensive ban on smoking in indoor public spaces, introduced in Bulgaria 13 years ago, is neither observed nor effectively enforced. Loopholes in the laws and the paralysis of the institutions responsible for implementing them are to blame.

This is why, on April 4, 2025, associate professor Dr. Vasil Pandov and Dr. Aleksandar Simidchiev submitted a bill aimed at closing these legal loopholes and strengthening tobacco control in Bulgaria. The proposal came in response to an urgent open letter to the institutions dated January 27, 2025, titled “Enough Vapes, Tobacco, and Death.” In it, 16 civil society organizations demanded seven urgent measures to immediately address the tobacco crisis, which also includes the use of vapes.

The letter, initiated by the associations Bulgaria Without Smoke and the Coalition for a Life Free of Tobacco Smoke, was also circulated through Ravni BG – a network of over 30 organizations advocating for democracy, human rights, vulnerable groups, sustainable development, advocacy, and other causes. The fight against tobacco addiction is one of them.

Following the strong public outcry over the child’s death in Pleven during the winter, the open letter received promising support from institutions such as the Consumer Protection Commission, the Ombudsman, and the General Directorate of the National Police at the Ministry of Interior. The Bulgarian National Television (BNT) launched its own campaign against vaping among children and youth, titled “Don’t Breathe Death.” The President convened a National Security Advisory Council to address the issue.

However, five months later, hopes that Bulgarians might finally be freed from the curse of tobacco once again seem doomed. At the session of the Parliamentary Committee on Health on May 29, 2025 (pictured on the screen above), the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Agriculture harshly refused to support the enforcement of the smoking ban. The submitted bill, minimal in scope, received the votes of only six MPs – five from the opposition (PPDB and “Vazrazhdane”) and one from APS. The remaining majority of eleven members of the committee simply abstained, effectively paralyzing any support for the proposal.

Final Chance

The bill, crucial for the health of Bulgarians, will proceed to the plenary hall for debate without the support of the lead Parliamentary Committee on Health. This paradoxical development leads to a shocking conclusion: that, for the so-called representatives of the people, the influence of tobacco companies and their multimillion-dollar profits in Bulgaria outweigh the lost lives and the damaged health and well-being of tens of thousands of Bulgarians and their children.

Whether this is the case will become clear in the coming days. During this time, MPs from all parliamentary groups will have the chance to demonstrate their true intentions: to what extent they are capable of acting in the interest of their voters – the Bulgarian citizens and their children – or whether they remain subservient to the interests of the tobacco industry and its powerful lobbyists in politics and government.

The organizations Bulgaria Without Smoke and the Coalition for a Life Free of Tobacco Smoke, which have been leading the civic resistance against tobacco addiction since 2010, once again appeal to all political leaders and MPs – to demonstrate their statesmanship and, specifically:

GERB and Boyko Borissov – to demonstrate their European orientation and independence from the interests of the tobacco industry, including Delyan Peevski, publicly named as a co-owner of Bulgartabac back in 2017;

BSP – to rediscover its essence as a socially responsible political force, rooted in the fight against tobacco and other cartels, known to generations of Bulgarians from the iconic novel Tobacco by Dimitar Dimov;

ITN and the other patriotic formations – to show their concern for Bulgarians by protecting their health and well-being from the deadly addiction to tobacco and the profits it generates in our society; and

PPDB, Vazrazhdane, ASP, and all other political forces – to stand even more firmly behind tobacco control and to neutralize the political infighting that hinders the long-awaited improvement of tobacco control in Bulgaria.

Дигитални инструменти

The Bulgaria Without Smoke initiative has strategically used the internet for its actions since its very inception. Its first spontaneous protest by its members took place in front of the National Assembly on February 19, 2010, organized through a Facebook event titled “Smoke for the MPs.” Activists have repeatedly used this type of digital event in the years since.

The most emblematic tool of Bulgaria Without Smoke is its automated platform for citizen reports of violations of smoking bans. It was developed using Ushahidi in 2011, with the support of BlueLink.net – the network for civic action. A co-founder of the coalition, the BlueLink Foundation has been a member of the global Association for Progressive Communications (APC) since 2000 – a constant source of critical thinking and practical support for civic participation on the internet.

Among themselves, the members of Bulgaria Without Smoke and the organizations affiliated with the Coalition for a Life Free of Tobacco Smoke use the good old mailing lists – a surprisingly enduring and useful tool in the rapidly changing digital communication environment. The shutdown of Skype a month ago forced the joint team of the two organizations to move their operational communications to Teams, but the transition has been challenging. Activists are also experimenting with other platforms, such as Viber and Signal.

In recent months, they have successfully used AI services in ChatGPT several times to generate impactful illustrations depicting the actions of the tobacco industry to “hook” young people in Bulgaria on this deadly addiction.

Support

Learn more about the goals and activities of the associations Bulgaria Without Smoke and the Coalition for a Life Free of Tobacco Smoke, and read their investigations and publications exposing the horrifying interference of the tobacco industry in politics, science, medicine, and the media in Bulgaria.

Report violations of smoking bans in public and workplace environments through the civic platform at https://bezdim.org/signali/.

Join the civic initiative Bulgaria Without Smoke as a member or collaborator at https://bezdim.org/prisaedini-se/.

Take part in protests, actions, and events organized by both associations as a volunteer. Share their mission with friends, colleagues, and acquaintances who strongly oppose smoking or the state being captured by the powerful interests of the tobacco industry and corruption.

Support the organizations working to improve tobacco control in Bulgaria by contacting them via email for donations.

The BlueLink civil action network tells 7 stories about initiatives by members of Ravni BG, focusing on the strategic use of information technologies. Ravni BG brings together 37 civil society organizations working in areas such as human rights protection, vulnerable groups, sustainable development, the rule of law, and advocacy. The project is implemented with the support of the Solidarity Fund of Ravni BG.

Published within the framework of “Ravni BG,” with financial support from the Solidarity Fund of “Ravni BG,” the funds for which have been provided to the Bulgarian Fund for Women (BFW) under the Strong and Resilient Civil Society in Europe program of the European philanthropic initiative for democracy and solidarity Civitates of the Network of European Foundations.

More digital stories from BlueLink.net about “Ravni BG”:

DigiComs: Gateway to Civil Society

Brave hearts: People with disabilities are changing the face of volunteering

Truth before lies: How Factcheck.bg fights misinformation

Power in pictures: Young people against violence

The Indomitable

Help Where It Counts: Lessons from Mission Wings’ Mobile Team