EU court clears way for plain tobacco packaging

New EU rules on tobacco products have been judged to be valid following three separate challenges, paving the way for countries to proceed with standardised packaging.

In a ruling, the European Court of Justice said extensive standardisation of packaging, the future EU-wide prohibition on menthol cigarettes, and special rules for electronic cigarettes are lawful.

The ruling follows challenges to the EU Tobacco Products Directive, which was adopted in 2014 but has been held up by a series of court cases.