Brussels, 12/07/2013 (Agence Europe) - In an opinion on the review of the tobacco directive, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) calls on the European Commission to strike “the right balance between economy, health and jobs”. Recognising that health must be remain the top priority over all economic considerations, the EESC nevertheless says that the economic importance should not be neglected of an industry that currently employs over 1.5 million people in the European Union - including 400,000 in rural areas. The EESC believes that the review of the directive is a threat to employment in rural areas where there is no alternative employment, and where CAP subsidies are no longer available.
Questioning the effectiveness of the measures proposed by the Commission, the EESC advocates action that prevents smoking among schoolchildren and adolescents, and it recommends awareness-raising campaigns. “The inclusion of health warnings, covering 75% of both faces of the cigarette pack (…) is not based on definitive scientific evidence”, the report reads. The EESC believes that this measure could destroy numerous jobs in the packaging industry. As regards the standardisation of cigarette packets and taste (through the ban on flavouring), this could “lead to an increase in tobacco smuggling, satisfying public demand through unregulated channels”, and thus resulting in a loss of tax revenues for the member states. (LM/transl.fl)