[Articles] Impact of cigarette prices and age-of-sale policies on smoking prevalence among youth in 26 European Member States (2012–2023): a longitudinal ecological study using repeated cross-sectional data

Current taxation and age-of-sale policies remain insufficient, with impacts varying by sex and region. Achieving the tobacco endgame requires harmonised EU-level measures and stronger enforcement, particularly of these two policies, to prevent the ongoing influx of new youth smoking initiates. This study suggests that their potential impact has been constrained by inadequate enforcement to date rather than by policy ineffectiveness.