Smoking is the single largest cause ofpremature mortality in the developed world. Obtainingaccurate estimates of smoking's impacts in south eastEurope (SEE) is hindered by the lack of accurate data.. Noneof the countries of the region yet conduct regular nationalsurveys of adult smoking prevalence and some have no recentnationally representative data available. The very highrates among medical personnel are cause for concern. Youthsmoking surveys are now conducted in most countries as partof international projects and show rates broadly similar tothe EU. The collapse of communism and the end of theconflicts in the 1990s has led to major changes in theregion's tobacco industry. The previously state-ownedtobacco monopolies have either undergone or are undergoingprivatization and the transnational tobacco companies havebeen increasingly active both in importing their cigarettesto, and investing in, the region. These changes can beexpected to increase competition in the tobacco industrywhich will in turn drive down prices and increaseadvertising, thereby stimulating consumption. The availablestatistics, combined with the changes to the region'stobacco industry, suggest that the health impacts of tobaccoin SEE will continue to worsen over coming years.
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