The EU has enlisted the help of celebrities from entertainment and sport in its initiative that seeks to educate young people on the dangers of smoking

The EU has enlisted the help of celebrities from entertainment and sport in its initiative that seeks to educate young people on the dangers of smoking. The European Commission's "Feel Free to Say No" anti-smoking initiative received a boost this week when stars from music and sport joined the campaign in a bid to help young people resist the temptations and pressures surrounding the habit. Television and cinema advertisements for the campaign featuring the EU Commissioner David Byrne with Lou Pearlman, the man behind the Backstreet Boys and N'Sync, together with Canadian band B4-4 started on November 10th. The ads will be seen on 30 national TV channels across the continent, on MTV Europe and in over 5000 cinemas. B4-4 has also released a new single under the title of the campaign. The campaign officially kicked off on May 31st, International World No Tobacco Day and the opening game of the 2002 World Cup in Korean and Japan. Throughout the year, national opening events and press conferences have taken place simultaneously across a number of EU member states.