Tag: France

  • No new anti-smoking ideas

    No new anti-smoking ideas

    The European Commission has no advice for France on how the country might reduce the size of its smoking population, but it expects the full impact of the measures already taken ‘will become apparent in the coming years’.

    In a preamble to two questions asked of the Commission, Mireille D’Ornano, a French member of the EU parliament, said that, according to a study conducted by the French National Public Health Agency, cigarette consumption was still particularly high in France.

    ‘In 2016, 34.5 percent of the population in the 15-75 age bracket smoked tobacco, 83 percent of whom did so daily, which is a “much higher proportion than in neighbouring countries”,’ she said.

    ‘In France, smoking is the direct cause of 73,000 deaths each year.

    ‘Yet, according to the British think-tank the Institute of Economic Affairs, France has the third strictest anti-smoking policy in the EU.

    ‘It appears that France has already implemented the recommendations made by the World Health Organization for the World No Tobacco Day on 31 May, particularly with regard to the pricing and taxation of tobacco products.’

    D’Ornano asked:

    1. ‘Does the Commission have any recommendations on how French anti-smoking policy can be made more effective?
    2. ‘Does the Commission intend to take ambitious measures against cross-border tobacco tourism and the sale of smuggled cigarettes?’

    In its answer to the first question, the Commission said that for effective tobacco control, a comprehensive strategy was needed; one that addressed all aspects of tobacco prevention and consumption at EU, national and local levels. ‘As the honourable member mentions, France already has many tobacco control measures in place and has recently introduced plain packaging,’ it said. ‘We expect that the full impact of these measures will become apparent in the coming years.’

    In answering the second question, the Commission said that the availability of both illicit and excessively cheap tobacco products, which might encourage cross-border purchasing, was a concern for the Commission.

    ‘To reduce the incentives for smuggling from the EU’s neighbouring countries, these are actively encouraged to approximate their fiscal charges to the levels set in the EU,’ it said.

    ‘Furthermore, Articles 15 and 16 of the Tobacco Products Directive aim to reduce illicit tobacco trade, including smuggling, through traceability and security features for tobacco products. These track and trace systems should be in place by May 2019 for cigarettes and roll-your-own tobacco and by May 2024 for all other tobacco products.

    ‘The Commission is currently working to prepare the necessary implementing legislation and an indicative implementation timeline has been published.’

  • CORESTA reporting

    CORESTA reporting

    The CORESTA Secretariat has given details of the documents that it has published and the projects that it has launched since May.

    The following documents have been published and can be downloaded from the CORESTA website at www.coresta.org under the Documents section.

    • Method No. 83 “Determination of Ammonia in Mainstream Cigarette Smoke by Ion Chromatography May 2017” (second edition) (2017-05-04)
    • Report “3rd Proficiency Test (2017) on Diffusion Capacity of Cigarette Papers” (2017-05-18)
    • Method No. 84 “Determination of Glycerin, Propylene Glycol, Water, and Nicotine in the Aerosol of E-Cigarettes by Gas Chromatographic Analysis” (second edition) (2017-06-13)
    • Report “2017 Collaborative Study on TSNA, pH, and Moisture (Oven Volatiles)” (2017-07-03)
    • Report “2017 Collaborative Study on Benzo[a]pyrene in Tobacco Products” (2017-07-04)
    • Method No. 82 “Determination of Benzo[a]pyrene in Tobacco Products by GC-MS” (third edition) (2017-07-04)
    • Method No. 72 “Determination of Tobacco Specific Nitrosamines in Tobacco and Tobacco Products by LC-MS/MS” (fourth edition) (2017-07-12)
    • Report “Determination of Nitrite and Nitrate in Smokeless Tobacco Products by IC and CFA – 2016 Collaborative Study” (2017-07-20)
    • Method No. 76 “Determination of Moisture Content (Oven Volatiles) of Tobacco and Tobacco Products” (second edition) (2017-07-20)
    • Method No. 69 “Determination of pH in Tobacco and Tobacco Products” (second edition) (2017-07-20)
    • Report “2017 Metals Proficiency Study” (2017-07-24)

    In addition, the following new projects were launched since May. A full list of active projects is available on the CORESTA website at www.coresta.org under the Study Groups/Active Projects section:

    • Project 149: CORESTA Presentation at TMA Annual Meeting & Conference
    • Project 150: TTPA SG – Ammonia and B[a]P Collaborative Study
    • Project 151: TBO TF – Biotechnology and Omics Scientific Literature Review and Nomenclature Definition
    • Project 152: PTM SG – 5th Round Robin Test on Air Permeability Calibration Standards
    • Project 153: SMA SG – Revision of CRM74 in line with development of ISO21160 (Selected Carbonyls)
    • Project 154: EVAP SG – Presentation at Next Generation Nicotine Delivery 2017 Conference in London, November 2017.
  • France is smoking

    France is smoking

    The EU Commission has been asked whether it has any recommendations on how to reduce smoking in France where, apparently, despite strict anti-tobacco policies, smoking rates are high.

    The French MEP Mireille D’Ornano said in a preamble to two questions that the Commission is due to answer in writing that, according to a study conducted by the French National Public Health Agency, cigarette consumption was still particularly high in France.

    ‘In 2016, 34.5 percent of the population in the 15-75 age bracket smoked tobacco, 83 percent of whom did so daily, which is a much higher proportion than in neighbouring countries,’ she said. ‘In France, smoking is the direct cause of 73,000 deaths each year.

    ‘Yet, according to the British think-tank, the Institute of Economic Affairs, France has the third strictest anti-smoking policy in the EU. It appears that France has already implemented the recommendations made by the World Health Organization for the World No Tobacco Day on 31 May, particularly with regard to the pricing and taxation of tobacco products.’

    D’Ornano asked:

    1. ‘Does the Commission have any recommendations on how French anti-smoking policy can be made more effective?’ and
    2. ‘Does the Commission intend to take ambitious measures against cross-border tobacco tourism and the sale of smuggled cigarettes?’
  • Registration open

    Registration open

    The Tax-Free World Association (TFWA) has opened registration for its new exhibition, the TFWA Digital Village.

    TFWA Digital Village is scheduled to run alongside the TFWA World Exhibition & Conference, which is due to be held at the Palais des Festivals, Cannes, France, on October 1-6.

    It will start with an opening cocktail reception at Hotel Barrière Le Majestic on October 3 and run until October 6. It will be held in the Gare Maritime, an exhibition area beside the Palais des Festivals.

    Among the speakers at the conference on October 2 will be David Rowan, editor-at-large of the technology and trends magazine WIRED UK, who will describe how the advance of technology will impact the duty free and travel retail industry.

    TFWA Digital Village will feature TFWA’s ONE2ONE meeting service, a personalised appointment service that provides opportunities for exhibitors to meet with decision makers and senior executives keen to embrace new technology.

    “To thrive in this digital age, the duty free and travel retail industry needs to embrace digital technology,” Erik Juul-Mortensen, president of TFWA was quoted as saying in a press note issued by the TFWA.

    “As the industry celebrates its 70th anniversary, this new venture will help to keep our business on track to move forward in a technology-centric world, and will allow brands and retailers to find out more about the leading players in this important field.

    “Similarly, the duty free and travel retail industry, valued at US$63.6 billion in 2016 by research commissioned by TFWA, is a market of enormous potential for innovative technology providers, making this the perfect platform to forge partnerships that will benefit both parties.”

    More information about the TFWA Digital Village is at: http://www.tfwa.com.

  • Deadline extended

    Deadline extended

    CORESTA has extended by a week the deadline for the submission of abstracts of papers intended for presentation at its 2017 Joint Study Group meetings.

    The deadline is now May 26.

    The Smoke Science and Product Technology (SSPT) meeting is due to be held at Kitzbühel, Austria, on October 8-12.

    And the Agronomy & Leaf Integrity and Phytopathology & Genetics meeting is scheduled to be held at Santa Cruz do Sul, Brazil, on October 22-26.

    The invitation for abstract submissions is being made through the CORESTA website at www.coresta.org.

    SSPT abstracts can be submitted directly at: www.sspt2017.org.

    CORESTA said that authors would receive immediately an e-mail message confirming the successful submission of their abstracts.

    They would be informed of the CORESTA Reading Committee’s selection towards the end of June.

  • CORESTA reporting

    CORESTA reporting

    The CORESTA Secretariat has given details of the documents that it has published and the projects that it has launched since March.

    The following documents have been published and can be downloaded from the CORESTA website at www.coresta.org under the Documents section.

    • Report “Joint Experiment Technical Study (JETS) Final Report 16/1 Dithiocarbamates in Tobacco” (2017-04-06)
    • Method No. 85 “Tobacco – Determination of the Content of Total alkaloids as Nicotine – Continuous-Flow Analysis Method using KSCN/DCIC” (2017-04-06)
    • Report “9th Proficiency Test (2016) for Physical Parameters of Cigarettes and Filters” (2017-04-24)
    • Guide No. 19 “Responsible Use of Crop Protection Agents (CPAs) in Tobacco Leaf Production” (2017-04-24)
    • Report “11th Round Robin Test for Multi-Capillary Pressure Drop Calibration Standards (2016)” (2017-04-27)
    • Report “4th Round Robin Test for Multi-Capillary Ventilation Calibration Standards (2015/2016)”

    In addition, the following new projects were launched. (A full list of active projects is available on the CORESTA website at www.coresta.org under the Study Groups/Active Projects section)

    • Project 140: TAG TF – Tobacco Alkaloid Genetics Scientific Literature Review
    • Project 142: EVAP SG – Presentation at ENDS2017 event in London, June 2017
    • Project 143: PSMST SG – Guide on Sulfuryl Fluoride – An Alternate Fumigant
    • Project 144: PSMST SG – Narcosis Position Paper
    • Project 145: PSMST SG – Yellow Residue Position Paper
    • Project 147: TTPA SG / Board – CORESTA comments on FDA standard for NNN in Smokeless Tobacco Products
    • Project 148: CSM SG – Guide on Smoke Collection of Handmade Long Filler Cigars.

    Meanwhile, CORESTA has advised that its April 2017 Newsletter is available for download from its website’s home page.

  • €100 million in unintended consequences

    France photoFrance – presumably in the form of French taxpayers – is having to pay about €100 million to tobacconists to buy up unsold branded tobacco packs that do not comply with a law on standardized tobacco packaging, according to a story in The Local France.

    When France made the switch to standardized tobacco packaging in January, the government was forced to buy the branded packaging that tobacconists had not sold.

    This stock amounted to 250 tonnes of branded products, made up of 15 million cigarette packs and loose tobacco packs that had been rendered unusable by the law.

    The law bans eye-catching branding and logos, and requires that packs are of a uniform size and color. Brand names remain, but appear in a small, uniform font.

    The process of compensating retailers was complicated by the fact that the authorities decided that the tobacconists needed to provide information about where they had purchased their cigarettes. This was reportedly because some cigarette sellers allegedly tried to cheat the system by sending in cigarettes that had been smuggled from elsewhere.

    Some 40 workers with the cigarette distributor Logista are sorting through the cigarettes and paying for them in a process that is expected to last until May. Logista will then be reimbursed by the government, which will in turn get rid of the 15 million packs by burning them.