EU feels the heat in bid to stub out smoking advertisements
On the one hand, the EU spends almost €1 billion a year subsidising the tobacco growers in several member states while on the other hand they are paying for an €18 million anti-smoking campaign.
In the meantime, the Tobacco Advertising Directive is having a difficult time getting through the system. The previous directive banning advertising fell when it was appealed to the courts by German and British interests.
Now this one has been held up in the Legal Affairs Committee of the European Parliament for over 18 months while they wrangle over a host of issues. In the meantime, more than 1,500 people a day die in Europe from the effects of smoking while more and more young people and women take up the habit.
Germany is the single largest cigarette manufacturer in the EU and is being blamed for much of the delays as the government and the industry lobby hard on behalf of the thousands of jobs and huge profits from the business. It is working hard to ensure this latest piece of legislation does not get through the EU Parliament before January. The current presidency, the Danes, favour the bill and will push hard for its adoption, if necessary isolating the Germans on the Council of Ministers. But in January the Greeks take over and growing tobacco or at least the subsidies from it is important to them. The vested interests believe they have a much better chance of having the new legislation killed under a Greek presidency. The European Parliament under siege from hundreds of lobbyists is due to have its first reading of the Directive in Strasbourg next Monday.
The commissioner responsible for it, David Byrne, hopes it will get its second reading quickly and confound the efforts of the vested interests.
He has also asked the council of ministers from the member states to establish a comprehensive tobacco control policy. A report from a member of the European Parliament's committee on Public Health and Consumer Protection suggests this should include the phasing out of tobacco vending machines, an end to promotional items like ashtrays and lighters, and moves to eliminate illicit trade.
Mr Byrne has set a target of reducing the numbers smoking from a third of the population to less than a fifth. One of the methods is the directive on the manufacture, sale and presentation of tobacco products.
Under this the warning "smoking kills" or "smoking seriously harms you and others around you" must be printed in bold on the front of packets. From next September there will be limits for the amount of tar, nicotine and carbon monoxide in cigarettes and words like "mild" and "light" will be banned because they suggest some cigarettes are safer than others.
