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Sharon Bowles MEP |
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Sharon Bowles MEP |
The European 'Tobacco Products Directive' outlines the rules for the manufacturing, marketing and sale of tobacco products, which includes smokeless tobacco products.
The current Directive can be viewed here:
eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:32001L0037:EN:HTML
On 19th December 2012 the European Commission issued a proposal to revise the 'Tobacco Products Directive'. This revision has been undertaken jointly by the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union, as per usual protocol.
The Commission's decision to revise this directive came about primarily as a result of developments in the tobacco industry and specifically to tobacco products. These developments were brought to light following a report produced by the Commission on the 'Application of the Tobacco Products Directive of 2007 and 2009'.
The basis for the new proposal is to make tobacco products less attractive and inform consumers appropriately as to the various health implications caused by tobacco. The general feeling amongst Liberal Democrat MEPs is that the initial proposal from the Commission was unbalanced and somewhat illiberal.
From the correspondence Sharon has received on this issue, it is clear that many people are concerned about the potential ban of 'e-cigarettes'. As a Liberal Democrat, Sharon supports, in principal, the consumer's right to access tobacco products. This is particularly true of e-cigarettes if they are beneficial to those trying to give up smoking and do not cause harm to non-smokers around them.
The committee responsible for this directive is the Parliament's Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) Committee. As Sharon does not sit on this committee, she has not yet had the opportunity to engage with the full proposals in detail. However, the proposed date for the directive's first reading will be in the plenary week of 10th July, where Sharon will then be able to consider the revised proposal in full. In the meantime Sharon will of course continue monitor the progress of this directive and raise any specific concerns with her Lib Dem and ALDE colleagues via group meetings.
If you would like to follow the progress of this directive for yourself then you can do so by clicking here.
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