Europe: Thousands Demonstrate against Planned EU-wide Tobacco Laws

Source from:  The Parliament Magazine (be)  02/07/2013

Over 4000 people converged on Brussels to demonstrate against proposed new EU-wide tobacco legislation.

Tobacco sellers say that the European commission's plans will put thousands of jobs at risk.

The proposal for the revision of the tobacco products directive includes the introduction both of "shock" pictures covering 75 percent of the surface of packaging and a ban on menthol and slim cigarettes.

But tobacco retailers, who descended on Brussels to protest against the proposal, have complained that adoption of the directive would cause "serious damage" to 1.5 million operators, half of them tobacconists.

Parliament still has to give its approval to the plans which were outlined by the commission just before Christmas.

The demonstration was organised by the confédération Européene des détaillants en tabac (CEDT).

According to the group, 4000 retailers came to Brussels from Italy, France, Spain, Austria, Belgium, Germany and the UK.

Rainer von Bötticher, president of the German national federation of tobacco retailers, which participated in the demonstration, said the commission proposal would put 25,000 jobs at risk.

He said the commission had "not been listening" to the concerns of smokers and tobacco retailers.

"As the decision was approaching, objections submitted by 85,000 EU citizens in a public consultation were simply being ignored by policymakers" he said.

"Now we need to pursue this avenue to show how big a threat these measures are to the livelihoods of the retailers."

Giovanni Risso, chair of the CEDT and the federazione Italiana tabaccai, said, "It seems to me that the commission proposal is going exactly in the opposite direction to protecting health.

"We expressed our fears, but the commission did not listen to us. We therefore encourage the parliament to show the right sensitiveness for a sector which is essential for the European economy by avoiding measures that are ineffective, dangerous and counter-productive".

He added: "We would have expected a stronger interest for subjects such as prevention and information, which are the only possible ways to an effective strategy aimed at fighting tobacco addiction".

Further comment came from Pascal Montredon, vice chair of the CEDT who said, "We say 'no' to those insane measures that Brussels would like to approve, but we say 'yes' to a serious policy on tobacco aimed at defending public health, even through a ban on tobacco online sales."

Mario Espejo, secretary general of CEDT, told the gathering, "This directive would only give rise to an increase of smuggling as well as a striking reduction of fiscal revenues throughout Europe.

"However, we are not in Brussels only to protest but also to put forward concrete proposals. We expect a true and constructive dialogue with the institutions which are called to decide about our future". Enditem