The think tank EPICENTER last week launched the European Parliament edition of the Nanny State Index 2018. The index looks at votes by EU politicians on taxes and regulation related to tobacco and other products. Read More

This week saw the presentation of OLAF’s annual report. As Director-General Nicholas Ilett put it, “Our investigative performance in 2017 shows that our work is essential in protecting EU taxpayers’ money and ensuring that EU funds do not fuel fraud and corruption instead of financing projects that can bring real added-value to citizens.” Read More

A recent study published by independent polling company Kantar TNS shows that plain packaging has not had a measurable effect on smoking prevalence in the United Kingdom. Less than a year after its introduction, the government must now acknowledge the failure of this widely unpopular measure. The study reveals that a clear majority of UK citizens (65%) believe that plain-packaging has failed to deliver results and constitutes a poor allocation of budgetary resources. Initially introduced in Australia in 2012, the policy has never been shown to have any impact on smoking rates. Read More