British American Tobacco said it will file a motion with Belgium’s highest administrative court against the planned implementation of plain packaging, reports De Morgen.
Announced in May, the new measure is scheduled to take effect in January 2020.
BAT said that the introduction of neutral packaging was a “symbolic measure,” which, alone, had little impact on consumption and could lead to complications within the industry.
“Tobacco consumption does not decrease as a result of neutral packaging, but because of price and excise tax increases,” company spokesman Filip Buntinx said in an interview with L’Echo, citing the experiences of countries like France and England.
“Traders will take longer to find the right package and [the measure] could lead to errors in stock management,” he added.
While conceding that plain packaging would have little impact on the habits of regular smokers, Suzanne Gabriels of the Belgian Foundation against Cancer said the measure’s primary objective was to discourage young people from picking up the habit.
“The full effect of neutral packaging will only become clear in the long term,” she told De Morgen, adding that with “all the glamour” stripped from the packs, next generations would no longer be targeted by marketing strategies.