Members of Parliament vote to regulate tobacco marketing
On 9 October 2013 the European Parliament plenary voted to update the the European Union (EU) Tobacco Products Directive aiming to make tobacco use less attractive to banning flavouring and regulating marketing.
The vote supported:
- mandatory pictorial warnings covering 65% of both sides and at the top of the pack;
- restriction of characterizing flavours without exception (with a temporary derogation for menthol);
- strong tracking and tracing provisions for tobacco products across the entire supply chain;
- strong regulation of novel tobacco products.
While the Parliament rejected the ban on slim cigarettes, it maintained restrictions on other misleading features of tobacco products and Member states’ possibility to adopt stricter measures to regulate tobacco products, such as plain packaging. Also importantly, the Parliament adopted a negotiation mandate allowing the start of negotiations with the Council and the European Commission in view of reaching a compromise before the European elections in May 2014. This is a reasonably strong base for further process towards a final Directive. The European Parliament also decided to regulate e-cigarettes as tobacco products.
