The Socialist Group in the European Parliament wants to take control of the upcoming EU legislation on nicotine. The centre-left coalition is now mobilising to secure a key role in tightening rules and increasing taxes on smokeless nicotine products.
The European left is stepping up its efforts to push for tougher rules on smoke-free nicotine products. The newspaper reports that Euractiv. At the centre is the Socialists and Democrats (S&D) group, which is now trying to secure a key role in shaping future EU legislation and taxation on white snus, e-liquids and e-cigarettes, among others.
Want to take control of legislation
The aim is to set up a so-called reporter in the European Parliament - the MEP who will have the main responsibility for formulating the Parliament's position on the issue, a position that could in practice determine how far-reaching the rules will be.
”We're going to fight to take responsibility for this issue. Our strategy is to build up influence to take care of the heaviest legislative issues - and right now the tobacco issue is the most important one,” says Mr Christophe Clergeau (France, S&D) to Euractiv.
Divisions on harm minimisation
The issue of smoke-free nicotine is dividing both member states and the European Parliament. Recently, a narrow majority of MEPs called on the European Commission to adopt an evidence-based approach based on the principle of harm minimisation - in contrast to its current position.
The decision was seen as an indirect rejection of the view that smokeless products should be treated in the same way as cigarettes, despite significant differences in terms of harm to users.
Strong criticism of the Health Commissioner
Meanwhile, EU Health Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi has been strongly criticised after claiming that snus and e-cigarettes are ”as harmful to health as cigarettes”. The statement was made in an interview with Euractiv.
Mr Várhelyi is also pushing for a new, EU-wide tax package for nicotine products. Under the proposal, the tax on white snus in Sweden would be raised from SEK 207 to around SEK 1,350 per kilo.
The proposal was previously rejected by several member states in the Council of Ministers. However, the version now being resubmitted contains few changes.
- ”As it stands, the proposal will not pass. The tax levels are still extremely high, both for nicotine pouches and cigarettes, and far from everyone accepts that,” says Markus Lindblad, Head of Communications at Snusbolaget (Haypp group), to Vejpkollen. ”The Commission has not tried to find a compromise. The risk is that there will be no common tax at all.”
Close contacts with the anti-tobacco lobby
In Parliament, however, the European Commission has the support of the left-wing bloc. A survey by the Dutch lobby organisation Tobacco knee (an organisation whose aim is to fight the tobacco companies) shows that representatives of the left-wing coalition have had regular meetings with anti-tobacco organisations in the run-up to the forthcoming legislation.
While other parliamentarians have been criticised for meeting with industry representatives and consumer organisations - meetings which, according to Tabakne, can influence legislation to favour industrial interests in various ways, the Mr Christophe Clergeau the group of MEPs who have been in contact with the anti-tobacco lobby almost exclusively over the past year. Like Health Commissioner Várhelyi, he not surprisingly wants to see strong action against what he describes as ”tobacco companies” new nicotine products".
”I am listening carefully to Commissioner Várhelyi. He is expected to take responsibility for dealing with the new products and come up with a new regulatory framework. I therefore hope that he will come up with a proposal and that his own party will support it,” he told Euractiv.
The reporting role can be crucial
Who is appointed as rapporteur can have a major impact on the outcome. The role offers far-reaching opportunities to influence both content and direction - and to gather a majority in favour of restrictive proposals.
If the S&D group manages to secure the post, both the new tobacco directive and the tax proposal is characterised by a much tougher line on smokeless nicotine products in the EU.
