Tag: European Union

  • EU to Decide on Swedish Match Deal by Oct. 11

    EU to Decide on Swedish Match Deal by Oct. 11

    Photo: Berk

    European Antitrust regulators will review Philip Morris International’s $16 million bid for Swedish Match by Oct. 11, reports Reuters, citing a Sept. 6 European Commission filing.

    At the end of its scrutiny, the EU competition enforcer can clear the deal with or without remedies or it can open a four-month-long investigation if it has serious concerns.

    In August, PMI extended the acceptance period for its offer from Sept. 10 to Oct. 21 following indications that the European regulators needed more time to review the proposed takeover.

    The multinational says it has already obtained approvals from other prominent regulators, including those in the United States and Brazil.

  • EU Registers ‘Smoke-Free’ Citizens’ Initiative

    EU Registers ‘Smoke-Free’ Citizens’ Initiative

    Photo: areporter

    The European Commission has registered a European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) to “achieve a tobacco-free environment and the first European tobacco-free generation by 2030.”

    The ECI urges the Commission to propose legislation banning the sale of nicotine products to people born in or after 2010 and to act against the environmental risks presented by tobacco use.

    The ECI also calls on measures to reduce cigarette litter, extend outdoor vaping restrictions and to eliminate tobacco advertising.

    By registering the ECI, the Commission acknowledges that it is legally admissible without expressing a view on the substance of the initiative.

    The organizers of the ECI now have six month start collecting signatures. If the initiative receives at least 1 million statements of support from citizens in at least seven EU member states within one year, the Commission will have to respond.

    The Commission can at that point take the request forward or reject it. If it rejects the ECI, the Commission will have to explain its reasoning.

    Introduced with the Treaty of Lisbon in 2007, the ECI initiative was created to increase direct democracy by empowering EU citizens to participate directly in the development of the union’s policies.

    Since the beginning of the ECI, the Commission has received at least 118 requests to launch ECI, 91 of which were admissible and thus qualified to be registered.

  • Many Comments on EU Tobacco Changes

    Many Comments on EU Tobacco Changes

    Credit: Savvapanf Photo

    An overwhelming majority of EU citizens who responded to a European Commission initiative say they support tobacco harm reduction products.

    The Commission’s “Call for Evidence” on the legislative framework for tobacco control received an unprecedented level of feedback, with consumers of alternatives to tobacco products – vaping, heated tobacco and oral nicotine pouches – making their voices heard in huge numbers, according to EU Political Report.

    More than 24,000 EU citizens responded to the call, launched by the Commission as part of its ongoing evaluation of what future EU tobacco laws will look like through revision of the Tobacco Products Directive.

    The massive interest in the issue may surprise some and may put the European Commission on the back foot as has been seen by some as having previously failed to support ‘tobacco harm reduction’.

    The 4-week public consultation, from May 20 May to June 17, had one of the biggest ever responses to a consultation. On average, calls of this length receive around 354 submissions. In recent years, only the “call for evidence” for a digital euro for Europe received a similar scale of a response, but still fell short of the 20,000 submission mark despite taking place over a longer period of time (10 weeks).

    Of the 24.000 submissions, more than 90 percent came from individual EU citizens, suggesting the extent to which this issue is a priority for the European public at large. Many submissions came from citizens in Germany, Italy and Romania.

    It showed that the biggest issue for citizens across all member states is the regulation of reduced-risk products such as e-cigarettes. On this, it has been argued that the Commission it out of sync with public opinion.

    The Commission has favored the introduction of new restrictions on reduced risk products, including flavor bans and sale restrictions but some in the industry hope the public response could now force it to reconsider these plans.

    In June, the Commission announced plans to prohibit the sale of flavored heated tobacco products in the EU. The proposal came, it said, in response to the “significant increase” in the volumes of heated tobacco products sold across the EU.

    A Commission report showed a 10 percent pick up in the sales volumes of heated tobacco products in more than five Member States and overall in the EU, heated tobacco products exceeded 2.5 % of total sales of tobacco products.

    An overwhelming majority of submissions supported tobacco harm reduction products, including vaping and nicotine pouches, as “critical tools” that have helped smokers to quit. Respondents were nearly unanimous in opposing any plans to restrict access to such products for adults over the age of 18.

  • Commission Wants Ban on Flavored THPs

    Commission Wants Ban on Flavored THPs

    Photo: Kuznietsov Dmitriy

    The European Commission on June 29 proposed a ban on the sale of flavored heated tobacco products.

    The move is part of Europe’s “beating cancer plan,” which envisions less than 5 percent of the EU population using tobacco by 2040.

    “With nine out of 10 lung cancers caused by tobacco, we want to make smoking as unattractive as possible to protect the health of our citizens and save lives,” said EU health commissioner Stella Kyriakides.

    According to EU figures, cancer is the second-leading cause of death in the bloc of 450 million residents. There are about 1.3 million cancer deaths and 3.5 million new cases per year in the EU.

    Kyriakides said that regulators need to “keep pace” with new developments to “address the endless flow of new products entering the market.”

    A recent report showed a 10 percent increase in sales volumes of flavored heated tobacco products in more than five EU countries between 2018 and 2020. Overall in the EU, these products exceeded 2.5 percent of total tobacco product sales in 2020.

    The Council and the Parliament will debate the Commission’s proposal before it enters into force 20 days after the publication in the Official Journal. EU countries will have eight months to transpose the directive into national law, and a further three months before the provisions will apply.

  • EU Urged to Embrace Harm Reduction

    EU Urged to Embrace Harm Reduction

    Photo: courtyardpix

    Medical and addiction experts called on the EU to embrace tobacco harm reduction during an event organized by the Centre for Economic and Market Analysis (CETA) in Prague.

    Debating how a tobacco-free generation—where less than 5 percent of EU-citizens use tobacco—can be achieved by 2040, they concluded that the objectives laid out in Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan cannot be attained under current circumstances and that a revised tobacco control policy based on scientific evidence is needed.

    “If the European Commission is serious about its plans to reduce the number of smokers and the impact of smoking, it must start considering the concept of risk reduction in the area of smoking,” said Czech National Drug Coordinator Manager Jindřich Vobořil, in a statement.

    “The Czech Government has committed itself to this approach in its program statement for the upcoming [EU] Presidency. I will also promote it in relation to the ongoing evaluation of the Tobacco Products Directive, which is an effective policy to achieve a real reduction in the number of smokers of conventional cigarettes,” he added.

    “The data show that the abstinence approach is inadequate. The solution for smokers is to switch to less harmful alternatives,” noted Ernest Groman, of the Vienna Nicotine Institute. The only European country close to the 5 percent target is Sweden. According to the experts, the low number of smokers is mainly due to the availability of less harmful alternatives.

    During the event, the CETA published a study ranking EU member states according to their ability to implement the concept of risk reduction. The Czech Republic finished second.

    The Czech government should use the upcoming EU Presidency to undertake a comprehensive review of tobacco dependence policies based on science rather than emotion, according to CETA Research Director Aleš Rod, who also sits on a Czech government advisory board.

  • Report: Counterfeiting Poses Serious Risk

    Report: Counterfeiting Poses Serious Risk

    Photo: Andrii Yalanskyi

    The Intellectual Property Crime Threat Assessment 2022 report by the EU Intellectual Property Office and Europol shows that piracy and counterfeiting pose a serious threat to the European economy as well as people’s health and well-being.

    Imports of fake and illicit goods reached €119 billion ($129.61 billion) in 2019, which represented 5.8 percent of all goods entering the EU zone.

    More than 66 million counterfeit items were seized by EU authorities in 2022 as pharmaceuticals, food items, cosmetics and toys, among other goods, were targeted by criminals and counterfeiters who took advantage of the pandemic.

    Tobacco products, too, feature prominently among counterfeited products.

  • Smoore Launches TPD Compliance Lab

    Smoore Launches TPD Compliance Lab

    Photo: Smoore

    Smoore has established a vaping products risk assessment laboratory for European Union Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) compliance. The lab is part of the Smoore fundamental research center.

    Operational since the first half of 2021, the laboratory has already completed 52 product tests for leading vape brands. As China’s first corporate TPD-compliant risk assessment laboratory, it can generate test reports within five working days. Its laboratory equipment is benchmarked against those in world-class analytical testing laboratories, such as Labstat and Enthalpy, according to Smoore.

    As the industry’s harm reduction and quality benchmark, the company complies with its in-house Smoore 3.0 safety standards. Based on the risk assessment guidance of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Food and Drug Administration, Smoore 3.0 covers all of the premarket tobacco product application (PMTA) vapor safety tests and FDA-listed harmful and potentially harmful constituents. In addition to vapor safety, Smoore 3.0 also involves extractable and leachable substances of medical-grade atomization materials.

    Smoore’s fundamental research center has developed a comprehensive analytical testing and risk assessment system, covering PMTA nonclinical testing and health risk assessment. Accredited by the China National Accreditation Service for Conformity Assessment (CNAS) in 2019, the system is now capable of up to 149 CNAS tests involving the chemical analysis of e-liquids and aerosols, electrical safety, material safety and battery safety.

    Smoore entered the EU market in 2018 with its FEELM atomization brand.

  • Europol: Pandemic Has Boosted Illicit Trade

    Europol: Pandemic Has Boosted Illicit Trade

    Photo: Ivan Semenovych

    The distribution of counterfeit goods, including cigarettes, has thrived during the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the latest Intellectual Property Crime Threat Assessment, published by Europol and the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO).

    The health crisis has presented new opportunities for trade in counterfeit and pirated products, and criminals have adjusted their business models to meet the new global demand.

    Imports of counterfeit and pirated goods reached €119 billion ($129.61 billion) in 2019, representing 5.8 percent of all goods entering the EU, according to the latest data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and the EUIPO.

    “The COVID-19 pandemic has presented new business opportunities for criminals to distribute counterfeit and substandard goods,” said Europol Executive Director Catherine De Bolle in a statement. “At best, these products will not perform as well as authentic ones. At worst, they can fail catastrophically.”

    Tobacco products feature prominently among pirated products. In 2020, cigarettes represented the ninth most-seized counterfeit item in the EU.

    Illicit products represent 7.8 percent of total cigarette consumption and a loss of €8.5 billion in tax revenues in the EU, according to the report. Thirty percent of illicit consumption in the EU in 2020 was driven by counterfeit products. The number of seized counterfeit cigarettes increased by 87 percent from 2019 to 2020.

    In 2019, cigarettes were one of the most frequently reported counterfeit goods and the second most frequently seized counterfeit items at the EU’s external border.

    Illicit tobacco products are increasingly produced in the EU, in modern and professional production facilities, established closer to destination markets. Illicit flows between member states increased by 1.5 billion in 2020. Illicit production facilities have been detected in Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, Spain, Hungary, the Netherlands and Poland.

    China and Russia are the main countries of origin for counterfeit cigarettes smuggled into the EU. The most popular destination markets are those that feature high retail prices for tobacco products. Illicit tobacco products also transit through the EU to large markets, such as the United Kingdom.

    The growth of the e-cigarette/vaping market in recent years has entailed a subsequent increase of counterfeit vaping products entering the EU market.

  • Ruling Could Impact EU Smoke Measurement

    Ruling Could Impact EU Smoke Measurement

    Photo: Amir

    A ruling by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) could impact the way in which the tar, nicotine and other chemicals emitted by cigarettes are measured, according to a report by DutchNews.

    In 2018, Dutch antismoking groups asked judges in Rotterdam to ban the existing EU ISO test because it provides inaccurate information about what smokers are actually inhaling.

    Tests by a Dutch public health institute showed that when the tiny ventilation holes in cigarette filters are covered—as smokers tend to do with their fingers when holding cigarettes—tar, nicotine and carbon monoxide levels exceed the official EU limits.

    The official EU ISO test, however, leaves the ventilation holes uncovered, leading to lower readings.

    The Rotterdam court referred the case to the ECJ to establish whether the test was valid and binding. While confirming that test was valid, the court on Feb. 22 noted it was not binding on the public because the method had not been published in the Official Journal of the European Union, where the trade bloc publishes its legal acts.

    Dutch attorney Phon van den Biesen said the ECJ had effectively thrown out the ISO method and instructed the Dutch court to review the antismoking group’s request on the basis of a measuring system the better reflects the deliveries.

  • EU Bill: Firms Liable for Supply Chain Violations

    EU Bill: Firms Liable for Supply Chain Violations

    Photo: weyo

    The European Commission has proposed a law that would hold large companies operating in the European Union for environmental violations or human rights abuses committed by businesses in their supply chains, reports The New York Times.

    “This proposal is a real game-changer in the way companies operate their business activities throughout their global supply chain,” said Didier Reynders, Commissioner for Justice, in a statement. “With these rules, we want to stand up for human rights and lead the green transition. We can no longer turn a blind eye on what happens down our value chains.”

    Under the legislation, businesses would need to establish mechanisms to detect, prevent and mitigate breaches of human rights, such as child labor, as well as environmental hazards in their supply chains. National governments would define the financial penalties for violators.

    Victims could sue for compensation in domestic courts of EU member nations, even if the harm occurred outside the bloc.

    According to the European Commission, the new rules will bring legal certainty and a level playing field. “For consumers and investors they will provide more transparency,” the Commission wrote on its website. “The new EU rules will advance the green transition and protect human rights in Europe and beyond.”

    The proposal would initially apply to companies with more than 500 employees and annual revenue over €150 million ($170 million). Around 2,000 companies based outside the bloc but doing business in the European Union, amounting to an annual revenue of more than €150 million, would also be covered.

    After two years, the range would be expanded to include smaller businesses in so-called high-impact sectors, such as textiles, food products and mining.

    The legislation will now be discussed by the European Parliament and the 27 national governments, with all parties able to modify the language. The final draft will require passage by the EU lawmakers and member nations. The whole process could take a year or more.