No distribution ambitions

The EU Commission has said that it has no plans to propose the setting-up of a centralised European agency or governing body for the distribution of tobacco products.

The Commission’s comment came in reply to a question posed by Cătălin Sorin Ivan a Romanian member of the EU Parliament.

Ivan had asked whether it was true that the Commission was proposing to set up a new central European agency, namely a governing body that would centralize the entire distribution of tobacco products.

‘If this is not the case,’ he asked, ‘is the Commission indeed proposing to set up a body, and if so, what would its competition be and what would its competences be?’

In reply, the Commission said it had no ‘current plans to propose the establishment of a centralised European agency or governing body for the distribution of tobacco products’.

‘The Commission is currently working on the implementation of the systems of traceability and security features for tobacco products provided for under Articles 15 and 16 of Directive 2014/40/EU and has published an indicative implementation timeline on its website,’ it added.