Brussels, 23/02/2016 (Agence Europe) - Agreements with the tobacco industry will once again be on the agenda of the plenary session of the European Parliament. The MEPs are getting ready to ask the European Commission some questions, on Thursday 25 February, about the added value and financial implications of these. They will also demand clear answers regarding the renewal of the agreement with Philip Morris, which is just about to expire (see EUROPE 11440).
The EU works with the major tobacco companies to fight the smuggling and counterfeiting of cigarettes on its territory. In total, four agreements have been signed, with Philip Morris International, Inc. (PMI), Japan Tobacco International (JTI), British American Tobacco (BAT) and Imperial Tobacco Limited (ITL). Concluded in order to put an end to a trial before the American courts, they require tobacco manufacturers to abide by a series of obligations, including to set in place control and monitoring protocols for their products or to limit sales on the basis of legitimate demand. They also provide for tobacco manufacturers to pay substantial sums of money (at least €2.3 billion up to 2029).
In July of this year, the first agreement to have been concluded, the one in place with Philip Morris, is to expire. Against this backdrop, the MEPs will call upon the Commission to state whether it plans to start negotiations with PMI to renew the agreement. “For years, and particularly since May 2015, the Commission has postponed the publication of the assessment of the PMI agreement. This agreement is to expire in less than six months' time and, so far, the Parliament, the only directly elected body, has not been kept properly informed”, the MEPs note. “This is unacceptable from a democratic point of view. The European citizens need to know the Commission's viewpoint on the possibilities of renewing the PMI agreement and the secret negotiations underway between the Commission and PMI” they add, with some asperity. Amongst other things, the MEPs are calling for the publication of the assessments they requested in spring 2014 regarding the implementation of the general budget of the EU for the financial year 2012. During the debate, the S&D and Greens/EFA groups may refer to the introduction of tax or duty on tobacco at EU level as an EU own resource to fight tobacco smuggling, tobacco counterfeiting or cigarettes produced solely for the purposes of contraband. The draft resolution is currently being prepared and will be put to the vote at the March plenary. (Original version in French by Sophie Petitjean)