US Group in Protest over Irish Packaging Plans

Source from:  Tobacco Journal International  10/08/2014

The US Chamber of Commerce has lodged an objection with the European Commission over the Irish government's plans to introduce plain packaging for tobacco products, the Irish Times reported.
 
The chamber, the world's largest business federation, presented a letter detailing its objections to the plans, together with a statement signed by 70 international business groups to the private secretary of the Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Charlie Flanagan, at a chamber-hosted business breakfast in Washington.

Acording to the Irish Times, the chamber's letter of objection is an example of intense lobbying as the Irish government begins debating the Public Health (Standardised Packaging of Tobacco) Bill 2014 this week.

In a letter dated September 18th, the chamber stated that the plan "sets a dangerous precedent at the expense of the protection of IP [intellectual property] rights for a number of industries, not just tobacco." Enditem