YESTERDAY’S preliminary ruling, usually a first step towards complete vindication, by the European Court of Justice, supporting Government intentions to introduce plain packaging for tobacco products is very welcome — all the more so as it seems rulings against conglomerates, intended to protect ordinary citizens, are becoming as scarce as turkey teeth. The court’s advocate general said the standardisation of labelling and packaging is a “proportionate” measure and that it challenges the “coolness” of current packaging.

The European Court of Justice will rule today on whether Ireland can go ahead with plain packaging laws for cigarettes.

A single tobacco company employed 161 lobbyists and spent millions of euro in an “unprecedented” attempt to shoot down a key EU directive behind Ireland’s groundbreaking plain-packaging cigarette laws.

Children’s Minister James Reilly addressed the World Conference on Tobacco or Health in Abu Dhabi on the battle for cigarette plain packaging legislation in Ireland and Europe

THE inevitable challenge from tobacco conglomerates to legislation making plain packaging on cigarettes mandatory cannot be dismissed lightly but it cannot be shirked either.

It has emerged that three tobacco companies have now threatened legal action over Ireland's new plain packaging tobacco laws.

Ten leading health campaign groups representing doctors and people suffering from cancer, heart disease and other life-threatening conditions have written to Cabinet urging them not to scrap the plain packaging anti-smoking plans.

A leading oncologist and Senator has called for a 99% tax on the profits of tobacco companies.

Moves to ban "seductive" cigarette packaging and replace it with gruesome warnings mark a "bad day for big tobacco", Health Minister James Reilly has insisted.

The three main tobacco groups in Ireland have claimed legislation proposed by Health Minister James Reilly to ban all branding on cigarettes will have no impact on smoking levels and will only increase the trade in illegal cigarettes.

The Law Society of Ireland has defended its stance on proposed legislation which would introduce plain packaging for all tobacco products amid accusations that it has sided with tobacco manufacturers on the issue.

A retailers’ group has warned that the Government plan to introduce plain tobacco packaging will fail unless measures introduced in Australia are included.