29/11/2017 (Agence Europe) – MEP Piernicola Pedicini (EFDD, Italy) said on Tuesday 28 November that he regretted that the proposal for objection on technical standards in the new traceability system and safety features for tobacco products had been rejected (see EUROPE 11914). In a press release, he highlights problems of form and substance. With regard to form, he argues that Parliament did not have enough time to examine the proposal when “the Commission had three years to bring forward far from perfect proposals”. On substance, he is against the criteria for judging financial independence and the absence of conflicts of interest with regard to the tobacco industry. The deadline for the member states to come to a decision is 29 November. (SPj)