Tobacco products: tough standards good for your health

EU standards on tobacco products will be tightened up in the future. Today, the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committee of the European Parliament endorsed, at first reading, stricter rules on tobacco products' ingredients, warning labels on the packaging and misleading branding. "We can save thousands of lives with these new standards", said Karl-Heinz Florenz MEP who is in charge of the dossier for the EPP Group in the European Parliament.

The committee has endorsed the mandatory application of warning photographs and a so-called ‘positive list’ of approved ingredients for tobacco products. "There are more than 50 highly questionable substances that are blended into tobacco. In the future, all substances which cannot be classified as harmless will be taken off the market. This can help people give up smoking", said Florenz.

"Cigarettes are not normal consumer products. Even the very first cigarette has detrimental effects. We need to keep youngsters from smoking. There are around 700,000 smoking-related victims per year in Europe", said the EPP Group MEP.

Appealing packaging of tobacco products shall no longer be possible according to the committee. "Pink or lipstick-style packets make a vicious and addictive product appear harmless. We say NO to such misleading and detrimental camouflage", said Karl-Heinz Florenz.

Plenary is scheduled to adopt Parliament position's during the first October session, most likely on 8 October.