EU agrees tough new rules on tobacco sales

The European Parliament yesterday, Tuesday, approved new tougher rules on tobacco sales which will come into force in September next year and force the cigarette producers across the EU to print prominent and shocking health warnings on the packets of cigarettes. The new directive, still to be formally approved by the member states, is intended to strike smokers out of the habit and is expected to be a serious blow to the tobacco industry.

Under the new law, shocking and bolder health warnings are to be included on the cigarette packets, tar levels reduced and terms suggesting that one brand (for example, light or mild) is less harmful are to be banned. A third of the pack will be devoted to a written warning such as “smoking kills”, whereas at the present minimum 4 per cent of the package will be devoted to warning inscriptions. National authorities will also have to include an additional warning to be chosen from a list that the European Commission will annex to the directive, and have the possibility of adding pictures of health effects of smoking.

Moreover, the new law reduces the maximum tar levels from 12 mg to 10 mg. The new rules are said to be a significant blow to the tobacco industry, which tried to prevent the adoption of the directive through sustained lobbying in Brussels. The industry claims the directive will have a devastating impact on the European exports to Asia, Australia and Africa, where people prefer stronger cigarettes, according to the BBC. The tobacco industry says some 8000 jobs in the EU will be threatened by the implementation of the new rules. Moreover, representatives of the industry claim that smoking scare tactics do not work. However, a World Bank Report published last year and quoted by the BBC suggests health warnings have convinced some smokers to quit. The report says that, in order to be effective, the warning had to be large and contain shocking and factual information.

The EU draws inspiration from the shock tactics used in Canada and Australia to convince smokers to give up cigarettes. In Canada, where the health warnings on packets are already among the most shocking and biggest in the world, the government is on the way to introducing tougher new regulations.

According to World Bank figures, quoted by BBC, smoking kills one in ten in the world and by 2030 it is expected to kill one in six. There are 1.1 billion smokers to date. By 2025, the figure is expected to reach 1.6 billion. The tobacco industry has been under constant attack the last years as reports have shown shocking tactics can push people to stop smoking.