Brussels, 14/03/2013 (Agence Europe) - EPHAC (the European Public Health Agriculture Consortium) and one of its affiliates, EPHA (European Public Health Alliance), denounces in a press release the fact that the European Parliament took a decision to grant subsidies to tobacco producers during the plenary vote on Wednesday 13 March on CAP reform. “Tobacco cannot have a place in the 2014-2020 EU common agricultural policy (CAP). With this move, the European Parliament wants to inject taxpayers' money to a toxic crop that causes nearly 700,000 annual deaths in the EU. (…) If Brussels wants to get smart on its reduced 2014-2020 budget, it should concentrate on ensuring that tobacco growers move to economically sustainable crops as part of a new CAP that does not undermine public health”, the associations for the defence of public health say. In their view, this is a textbook case of the vested interests of powerful groups getting the upper hand in policy-making, despite the fact that society is changing and that efforts are deployed to protect citizen health. The stance taken by the EP is, moreover, a “slap in the face of the European Commission's renewed commitment to tackle smoking” through revision of the tobacco products directive. And, on top of this, there is the fact that the European Union is a signatory to the OMS framework convention on tobacco control (FCTC). EPHAC takes the view that the new CAP should promote sustainable farming, to make healthy products available to citizens in order to contribute to the fight against cancer, chronic and non-communicable diseases. “The ball is now in the European Council's court. People living in Europe believe to have elected politicians bold enough to protect their interests. When landmark decisions such as those on CAP are to be made, this is when leadership is tested”, concluded Monika Kosinska, EPHA General Secretary, speaking on behalf of EPHAC. (IL/transl.jl)