Tobacco companies ‘operating in shadows’

Tobacco companies are working through the courts and lobbying the European Commission to roll back rules on smoking that have taken years to bring into force, Children and Youth Affairs Minister James Reilly has warned.

He has written to the senior vice-president of the commission, Frans Timmermans, accusing it of “operating in the shadows” in its dealing with the tobacco industry.

Mr Reilly, who pushed through tough new EU legislation during Ireland’s presidency of the union three years ago, reminded Mr Timmermans that 700,000 people a year die from the effects of tobacco, 5,200 in Ireland.