Over five years after tobacco plain packaging was introduced in Australia, there is no evidence that it has had any impact on smoking in the country. Instead, small producers who require packaging to distinguish their brands have suffered, while the biggest tobacco companies have simply received a larger market share. This from a Euractiv opinion piece written by Sinclair Davidson, a professor of institutional economics at RMIT University in Australia, senior research fellow at the Institute of Public Affairs, and an academic fellow at the Australian Taxpayers’ Alliance. Read More
Les Echos today reported that sales of smoking tobacco in France fell significantly in 2017, with roll-your-own and pipe tobacco sales declining by 5.6% year on year, and sales of chewing tobacco falling by 2.1%. This comes on the back of a tax increase on smoking tobacco last year, and ahead of a further increase in 2018. Read More
Austrian daily Der Standard reported this week that one of the sticking points in the coalition negotiations between the Austrian People’s Party (OVP) and the Austrian Freedom Party (FPA) is the proposed smoking ban due to come into force in May 2018. Read More
In response to criticisms raised by ESTA and others, Politico last week reported European Health Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis as saying the Commission had included “a number of additional derogations and lighter measures for small companies” in its regulation for a tobacco track and trace system. Read More
In an opinion article this week on Euractiv, Arnaldo Abruzzini, CEO of the Association of European Chambers of Commerce and Industry, criticised the European Commission for disregarding SMEs when assessing the impact of policy. A newly released study produced by the Association found the Commission regularly sets aside its own guidelines. Read More
Last week, the European Commission held discussions on the implementing acts meant to introduce a track and trace system for tobacco products in the EU. Read More
A new survey has found that some smokers in the UK are spending £1,000 per year on illegal tobacco, Talking Retail reported yesterday. Read More
In an article published this week, Euractiv cited a European Commission spokesperson stating that the executive body’s proposed track and trace system is fully in line with the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control’s Anti-Illicit Trade (AIT) Protocol, as it gives management of the system over to member states. Read More