欧盟考虑更严格的规则以阻止青少年吸烟

 　　BRUSSELS, July 10 (Xinhua) -- Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) in its public health committee on Wednesday backed a draft proposal to discourage youth smoking by banning the use of strawberry and other flavors in tobacco products.

　　MEPs also asked for health warnings on each side of a cigarette pack, as well as the ban on slim cigarettes and "attractive" packaging. The proposal suggested that 75 percent of the front and back of cigarette packs should be covered with pictures and texts of health warning.

　　The proposal had been adopted by the Commission last December to update the current tobacco products directive with initiatives of discouraging young people from starting to smoke. It still needs formal endorsement¹ from the Parliament in a plenary session and the EU Council before becoming a EU law.

　　Nearly a third of EU citizens smoke, 70 percent of whom started before the age of 18 and 94 percent before the age of 25.

　　In the past decade, the number of smokers² has however fallen from nearly 40 percent in the EU15 back in 2002 to 28 percent in the EU27 in 2012.

1 endorsement   

n.背书；赞成，认可，担保；签(注)，批注

参考例句：

• We are happy to give the product our full endorsement.我们很高兴给予该产品完全的认可。
• His presidential campaign won endorsement from several celebrities.他参加总统竞选得到一些社会名流的支持。

2 smokers   

吸烟者( smoker的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Many smokers who are chemically addicted to nicotine cannot cut down easily. 许多有尼古丁瘾的抽烟人不容易把烟戒掉。
• Chain smokers don't care about the dangers of smoking. 烟鬼似乎不在乎吸烟带来的种种危害。