ERS has since its founding in 1990 demonstrated a strong commitment to tobacco control; notably, it has set up a dedicated Tobacco Control Committee (TCC) and a group of expert scientists, developed solid partnerships with cancer and heart organisations and imposed an exceptionally strict code of conduct for relations with the tobacco industry.

ERS has worked on tobacco control at the local level through doctors and allied health professional members working in hospitals, clinics and universities; at the European level with an office to monitor tobacco control; and at the international level through its participation in global conferences and membership of organizations such as the Framework Convention Alliance.

ERS is a founding member of the Smoke Free Partnership (SFP) which has been at the forefront in calling for comprehensive smoke-free laws across Europe. In line with the obligations of Articles 5.3 and 8 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, SFP has been instrumental in lobbying the EU Council of Ministers and the European Parliament to ensure that policies can be put into practice without interference from an industry whose primary goal is to keep people smoking to generate profit. The campaign over the next few years will be focused on the revision of the Tobacco Products Directive. The ERS/SFP position is to have mandatory, large pictorial warnings back and front, with standardised packaging.