Brussels, 05/11/2001 (Agence Europe) - Speaking in a very "forward-looking" way before the October plenary session of the European Economic and Social Committee, Environment Commissioner Margot Wallström felt that the role the Committee must play in the European decision-making process has so far not been sufficiently recognised, while the Commission's White Paper on European government strengthens this role. She stressed that sustainability should be the watchword for all Community policies and not just environmental policy.
Furthermore, the Committee adopted by 50 votes in favour, 18 against and 7 abstentions the opinion expressed by Christoph Fuchs (Various Interests, Germany) on the approximation of legislative, regulatory and administrative Member State provisions regarding advertising and sponsoring of tobacco products. While welcoming the aim of the draft directive, the Committee regrets that its scope is limited and that it does not provide for overall regulations on the advertising and sponsoring of tobacco products, including in particular cinema advertising. The Committee, on the other hand, believes a total ban is needed in the context of a broad range of measures intended to prevent tobacco addiction, and especially to prevent vulnerable categories such as children and young people to be prematurely encouraged by advertising to become smokers
The Committee also held an intense debate on the question of the rate and structure of excise applicable to manufactured tobacco (rapporteur: José Bento Gonçalves, Various Interests, Portugal). Sharing in substance the concerns of the European Commission (decline of fraud and health protection), the Committee nonetheless considers that the tool proposed is not appropriate. It fears in fact that, instead of narrowing the gap between the excise duties applied in the various Member States, the proposal on the table makes this gap still wider. A counter-opinion in full support of the Commission proposal was rejected.