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http://blogs.wsj.com/brussels/2013/09/05/european-parliament-delays-vote-on-new-tobacco-regulation/
Particularly interesting section:
By Gabriele Steinhauser
The European Parliament on Thursday delayed a vote on changes to a bill regulating tobacco and other nicotine products, after the lead negotiator for the new law complained about massive lobbying by big tobacco companies.
The presidents of the center-right European Peoples’ Party, the Alliance of Liberal and Democrats for Europe, as well as the euroskeptic European Conservative and Reformists and Europe of Freedom and Democracy, supported postponing the vote to Oct. 8 from Sept. 10.
That day, all members of the legislature were meant to vote on a report on the proposed Tobacco Directive, prepared by the Parliament’s environment and health committee. Backing from the full Parliament would allow lawmakers to start negotiations of the new law with European Union member states.
The committee’s report had supported much of the European Commission’s original proposal for the new law — despite forceful industry pushback. It included warning labels with graphic pictures showing smoke-related illnesses that cover 75% of a cigarette package and a ban on “slim” cigarettes as well as additives and flavors, such as menthol, meant to make cigarettes more attractive to young people.
Perhaps most controversially, it also supported regulating electronic cigarettes as medicinal products. That would require medical testing for the devices as well as the nicotine-laced liquids they vaporize and risks limiting their sale to pharmacies in several member states (although lawmakers explicitly said that member states should avoid this).
Linda McAvan, the U.K. Labour lawmaker who was in charge of the report, fought hard to keep the vote on schedule to avoid shortening an already tight timetable to get final deal on the law. Because the Parliament heads into elections next spring, many bills under discussion right now risk dying a quiet death if lawmakers and member states can’t agree on them before then.
“The decision today by the EPP, ALDE, ECR and EFD political groups to delay the tobacco vote is disappointing,” Ms. McAvan said in a statement. “We must now make sure that the vote really does go ahead on the 8th October — and that there are no more delay tactics. Technically everything was in place for the vote.”
Karl-Heinz Florenz, who handled he report for the EPP and wanted to stick to the Sept. 10 voting date, declined to comment on the delay.
Further cracks are beginning to show in Parliament’s support for tougher regulation of tobacco products.
On Wednesday the EPP group – the biggest faction in the legislature — backed a number of changes to the bill that it will seek to introduce in plenary. These would shrink the warning labels to 50% of the package surface, lift the ban on slim cigarettes and give health regulators eight years to decide whether to prohibit menthols. E-cigarettes, meanwhile, would merely have to carry warning labels and e-liquids could continue to come in various flavors.
In an interview earlier this week, Ms. McAvan said that postponing the vote would play into the hands of tobacco companies, which had already picked up their lobbying efforts in recent weeks.
“Their strategy is very clear: either to get their amendments accepted to delay,” she said.
Antismoking activists also raised concerns over the delay. “This is outrageous ,”Florence Berteletti, director of the Smoke Free Partnership said in a statement. “We suspect that tobacco industry interference is now once again at play — this time by overturning a longstanding commitment of the European Parliament to secure a swift resolution of this Directive.”
Particularly interesting section:
By Gabriele Steinhauser
The European Parliament on Thursday delayed a vote on changes to a bill regulating tobacco and other nicotine products, after the lead negotiator for the new law complained about massive lobbying by big tobacco companies.
The presidents of the center-right European Peoples’ Party, the Alliance of Liberal and Democrats for Europe, as well as the euroskeptic European Conservative and Reformists and Europe of Freedom and Democracy, supported postponing the vote to Oct. 8 from Sept. 10.
That day, all members of the legislature were meant to vote on a report on the proposed Tobacco Directive, prepared by the Parliament’s environment and health committee. Backing from the full Parliament would allow lawmakers to start negotiations of the new law with European Union member states.
The committee’s report had supported much of the European Commission’s original proposal for the new law — despite forceful industry pushback. It included warning labels with graphic pictures showing smoke-related illnesses that cover 75% of a cigarette package and a ban on “slim” cigarettes as well as additives and flavors, such as menthol, meant to make cigarettes more attractive to young people.
Perhaps most controversially, it also supported regulating electronic cigarettes as medicinal products. That would require medical testing for the devices as well as the nicotine-laced liquids they vaporize and risks limiting their sale to pharmacies in several member states (although lawmakers explicitly said that member states should avoid this).
Linda McAvan, the U.K. Labour lawmaker who was in charge of the report, fought hard to keep the vote on schedule to avoid shortening an already tight timetable to get final deal on the law. Because the Parliament heads into elections next spring, many bills under discussion right now risk dying a quiet death if lawmakers and member states can’t agree on them before then.
“The decision today by the EPP, ALDE, ECR and EFD political groups to delay the tobacco vote is disappointing,” Ms. McAvan said in a statement. “We must now make sure that the vote really does go ahead on the 8th October — and that there are no more delay tactics. Technically everything was in place for the vote.”
Karl-Heinz Florenz, who handled he report for the EPP and wanted to stick to the Sept. 10 voting date, declined to comment on the delay.
Further cracks are beginning to show in Parliament’s support for tougher regulation of tobacco products.
On Wednesday the EPP group – the biggest faction in the legislature — backed a number of changes to the bill that it will seek to introduce in plenary. These would shrink the warning labels to 50% of the package surface, lift the ban on slim cigarettes and give health regulators eight years to decide whether to prohibit menthols. E-cigarettes, meanwhile, would merely have to carry warning labels and e-liquids could continue to come in various flavors.
In an interview earlier this week, Ms. McAvan said that postponing the vote would play into the hands of tobacco companies, which had already picked up their lobbying efforts in recent weeks.
“Their strategy is very clear: either to get their amendments accepted to delay,” she said.
Antismoking activists also raised concerns over the delay. “This is outrageous ,”Florence Berteletti, director of the Smoke Free Partnership said in a statement. “We suspect that tobacco industry interference is now once again at play — this time by overturning a longstanding commitment of the European Parliament to secure a swift resolution of this Directive.”
