Tobacco industry tried to derail European anti-smoking legislation

An investigation of industry documents found that the industry had relied on “massive” lobbying by third-parties to try to unsettle regulations’ progress through the EU parliament.
One tobacco manufacturer was found to have employed more than 160 lobbyists.
Dubbed “the most lobbied dossier in the history of EU institutions”, the 2014 European Union Tobacco Products Directive set out proposals to prevent premature deaths and cut the number of smokers across the continent by 2.4 million. It is due to become law next year.
The new analysis, published in the journal Tobacco Control , also suggests that the tobacco industry’s efforts were helped by reforms, known as ‘Smart Regulation’, that seemed to have made it easier for corporate interests to influence public health laws.
Alison Cox, Cancer Research UK’s EU director of cancer prevention, said the investigation showed how more needs to be done to stop the tobacco industry influence.
“This important study shows how the tobacco industry threw the kitchen sink at a campaign to sabotage the Tobacco Products Directive. But it failed. Despite the industry’s efforts the new measures will raise public health standards across the EU from 2016, and ultimately save lives,” she said.