Brussels, 20/12/2012 (Agence Europe) - The EPP, S&D and Greens/EFA gave an overall warm welcome to the revised draft directive on tobacco, presented on 19 December by the Commissioner for health, Tonio Borg (see EUROPE 10755). They congratulated the new Commissioner for having respected the deadlines, despite fears that the resignation of his predecessor, John Dalli, could have led to further delays in the adoption process. “This is important for the credibility of the EU institutions” said the EPP. The Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D) stressed that, “Commissioner Borg has fulfilled his promise to deliver the Tobacco Products Directive as soon as he came to office”.
The S&D consider that having a strong text is likely to discourage new smokers and convince diehard smokers to stop consuming tobacco products. They particularly welcome the provisions regarding the conditions on products, which ban “lipstick-style” cigarette packs aimed at attracting young women. They also welcomed the ban on certain substances such as menthol, which also has a seductive effect on young people. Linda McAvan (United Kingdom) said that tobacco products should not be dressed up to make them more attractive. The EPP group said that the proposal was balanced and included significant improvements for the health sector, without containing any exaggerated ideas. The group pointed out that, “the imperative of protecting health must be balanced with the principle of subsidiarity and the market economy”. The group also welcomes the ban on certain flavourings being added to cigarettes, as well as the bigger warning images that are expected to create a greater impression on young smokers. The EPP is also pleased that the text does not contain an obligation for neutral packaging. Peter Liese (Germany) and Richard Seeber (Austria) said that this would, “have caused too many legal problems”. This, however, is not the opinion of the Greens/EFA. Although they welcome, “this first important start”, they believe that the Commission did not go far enough on the question of packaging. Michèle Rivasi from France and Carl Schyter from Sweden said that they regretted that the directive did not go as far as proposing blank/neutral packets. Schyter considered that the Commission should have banned all flavourings and Rivasi said that components containing ammonium seriously worsened addiction. The ENVI committee will be organising a public hearing on the proposal on 25 February 2013.
European public health bodies represented by the European Public Health Alliance (EPHA) also applauded the proposal. Nonetheless, similarly to the Greens, there were regrets that the Commission did not make neutral cigarette packets obligatory, a move that really would have discouraged young people from taking up smoking. This regret was shared by the European Heart Network (EHN). EPHA said that this proposal was just the beginning and that it hoped that the European Parliament and member states would not be swayed by the tobacco industry lobbying machines, which would attempt to delay the proposal. It is encouraging MEPs to go farther than the Commission. The secretary general of EPHA, Monika Kosinska stated that, “We are hopeful there is enough political will to complete the process next year and to go further than this proposal, and join Australia and other countries in introducing mandatory plain packaging across the EU” .
The European packaging industry deplored the proposal for standard packaging for tobacco products, which it claimed would not produce the desired effect but would, on the contrary, threaten the viability of the sector. The president of the European Carton Makers Association, (ECMA), said that packaging was not the problem but rather, the lack of an effective policy. According to the latter, such a decision not only fails to discourage smokers but also opens the door to the commercialisation of illegal products that have been manufactured on the cheap, to the disadvantage of the European packaging sector. (IL/transl.fl)