Brussels, 28 May 2013 – Today, the Irish government has approved, with not a single vote against, the drafting of legislation for generic packaging for tobacco. The legislation will be drafted by the autumn and is expected to come into force by early next year.
Ireland will become the first EU Member State, and the second country in the world after Australia, to remove branding from tobacco product packaging (1).
“There is a strong body of evidence (2), backed by wide popular support (3), that standardised tobacco packaging, along with larger health warnings, reduces brand appeal, particularly among young smokers. As some youngsters go on to become lifetime smokers, tobacco companies target this population group more heavily than any other,“ said Monika Kosińska, Secretary General of the European Public health Alliance (EPHA).
In today’s published EPHA Position Paper on Revision of the Tobacco Products Directive (4), EPHA emphasises that tobacco packaging is the first and principal link between consumers and manufacturers.
“Today’s decision by the Irish cabinet illustrates the strong commitment on tobacco control by the country that currently holds the EU presidency. It should set the tone of the ongoing discussions taking place in the European Parliament and among member states to adopt a revised EU Tobacco Product Directive (TPD),” said Kosińska. “European policy-makers are trusted to protect public health by enacting people-centred policies that limit the tobacco industry’s capacity to draw consumers into a habit that kills 700,000 people in Europe every year,” concluded Ms Kosińska.
– Notes to editors
(1) According to the Irish Times, The measure is expected to include all forms of branding: trademarks, logos, colours and graphics will be removed from cigarette packets, while brand name will be presented in a uniform typeface for all brands and the packs would all be in one plain neutral colour. Source: Plain cigarette packets to be introduced, The Irish Times
(2) “A review of the science base to support the development of health warnings for tobacco packages,” researched conducted by Sambrook Research International, May 2009
(3) Eurobarometer on Tobacco, Special Eurobarometer 332, 2010
(4) EPHA Position Paper] [Revision of the Tobacco Products Directive
– Contact information
Javier Delgado Rivera, EPHA Communications Coordinator at javier@epha.org or +32(0) 2 230 3076.
