TOBACCO INDUSTRY INTERFERENCE: EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT VOTES FOR INVESTIGATION, CONTRE-FEU WELCOMES DECISION
French NGO Contre-Feu welcomes the European Parliament’s decision to call for an investigation into the European Commission’s contacts with the tobacco industry. At the same time, to prevent cigarette manufacturers from jeopardizing public health policies in third countries, Contre-Feu requests an urgent inquiry by the European Ombudsman into the exchanges between DG TRADE and tobacco representatives.
The voted amendment to the Commission’s discharge report follows findings published in a joint report by Contre-Feu and STOP, Behind Closed Doors: How the Tobacco Lobby Influences the European Union and Beyond, documenting repeated and undisclosed exchanges between DG TRADE and Philip Morris International (PMI) between 2023 and 2024. According to this report, the company sought to use EU diplomatic channels to challenge public health regulations in third countries, in particular restrictions on heated tobacco products. The level of access reportedly granted to PMI by DG TRADE, compared with other Commission services, raises serious questions about the transparency and integrity of decision-making processes.
The amendment adopted today recalls that, as a Party to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), the EU must protect public policies from the commercial and other interests of the tobacco industry. It therefore stresses that no interactions related to tobacco control policies in third countries should take place. It also regrets that the meetings in question were not disclosed and calls for the full implementation of Article 5.3 of the FCTC, ensuring that all interactions are strictly limited and fully transparent.
By adopting the amendment, the Parliament is calling for an investigation and sending a strong political signal: meeting with this deadly industry behind closed doors undermines global efforts to protect people from tobacco harm, and this must come to an end.
These concerns arise in a context where Europe continues to record the highest smoking prevalence worldwide, with more than 1.1 million deaths annually in the WHO European Region and rising smoking rates among women and young people.
In parallel, Contre-Feu has also filed a complaint with the European Ombudsman, raising similar concerns about maladministration by DG TRADE over repeated opaque exchanges that risk undermining public health objectives.
Contact presse Victoria Leiva – victoria.leiva@contre-feu.org – +33 06 28 80 86 91