Germany accused of siding with tobacco industry

A COALITION of Irish anti-tobacco agencies yesterday accused Germany of siding with the tobacco industry to obstruct an international agreement on smoking.

The Irish Cancer Society, the Irish Heart Foundation and ASH Ireland yesterday delivered an official letter of protest to the German Embassy in Dublin, in solidarity with a German organisation which has accused the country of vetoing EU

anti-tobacco legislation.

Next week, the last round of negotiations on a Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) will take place in Geneva, where more than 110 countries, including all EU States except Germany, will support measures aimed at curbing smoking.

It is hoped the FCTC could be signed by the 191 member States of the World Health Assembly later this year. If successfully negotiated, the FCTC would then be the world’s first global agreement devoted entirely to tobacco control.

However, Germany’s hard stance is obstructing the EU as a whole, which is obliged to reach unanimous

agreement before ratifying any part of the FCTC. Irish Heart Foundation chief executive Micheal O’Shea said all nations had a responsibility to crack down on smoking.

“All governments have a responsibility to ensure

tobacco doesn’t continue

to kill people as it does.

“Europe-wide control is something that is necessary.

“And if the German

Government are so

irresponsible as to continue to block such a measure

one would have to

object strongly to that,” he said.