The review of the E.U tobacco products directive 2001, has options for, banning cross border tobacco sales, as well as for extending the ban on Snus to cover all smokeless tobacco products. The new directive is to be ratified by 2012. There are less alarming options also on the table but I fear the worst, given the E.U’s commitment to a tobacco free europe. There is currently a citizens consultation on this, for what it’s worth. http://ec.europa.eu/health/tobacco/consultations/tobacco\_cons\_01\_en.htm
tobacco free equals historical illteracy. Illteracy isn’t defined as being unable to read but being unable to read in a functional manner. Sure they may know something about history but they clearly have no understanding of it.
Is there anything the EU doesn’t want to ban? How long will you Europeans put up with such a harebrained organization? EDIT: no one take offense that this statement please but it seems like every European hates the EU. Some acquaintances of mine in Germany constantly complain about it.
Have done a bit of reading around the WTO, etc at Uni. I fail to see how this is anything but a “Technical Barrier to Trade” an thus subject to WTO oversight. Then again, they seem to have a habit of imposing themselves on some countries more than others.
Everyone seems to forget that their goal is to reduce immigration through creating undesirable living situations.
If you think the demonstrations in France against austerity measures are something, wait till they try to take tobacco away from the UK.
We are in economic meltdown. Those things were written before the change of government in the UK. They will not lose millions in tax at this stage, if ever. Any measures taken will be lip-service and will probably increase taxation to cover all tobacco goods, snuff included. The UK will not lose tobacco and I doubt anywhere else in Europe will at this time.
The proposal is to extend the ban on SMOKELESS tobacco products, already in place in relation to some oral tobacco. There is no proposal to ban cigarettes, for the obvious reasons of taxation and big business interests. The E.U study of a couple of years ago found that smokeless products were a gateway for young people to be hooked into smoking. It furthermore found that there was no evidence that smokeless products could be used as cessation aids and found that a high percentage of smokeless users continued to smoke. I find these highly questionable findings but they are the basis on which the commission will draw up its revisions. The link below is a database of E.U risk assessments. ec.europa.eu/health/ph_risk/committees/04…/scenihr_o_013.pdf
In previous rounds of regulation nations have been able to opt out on the grounds of, ‘traditional,’ use of certain tobacco products. Notably, Sweden was able to opt out of the ban on snus that was applied to the rest of the E.U. This however was only achieved through the creation of a popular movement to lobby the Swedish Govt.
I’d like to hear (read?) Roderick or Tim’s comments on this one.
@NelsonPipeClub: Me too.
/sigh. What a crock of shit. I’ll keep my hopes up for all of you, my snuffing brothers and sisters.
“Is there anything the EU doesn’t want to ban? How long will you Europeans put up with such a harebrained organization?” @John - In referendum after referendum Europeans have rejected the EU constitution. Even France and Holland rejected it. In 2005 Dutch voters, the most reliably-pro Europeans, threw out the constitution. It was rejected 61% to 39%. (Britain wasn’t even given the chance to reject it on a larger scale.) Despite the setbacks the President said that “the ratification process must continue because the reform of the European Union is important for citizens, for democracy and for transparency.” Got that? The reason the President tossed aside the verdicts of the electorate was for democracy. Unfortunately many people believe that the EU machinery is a democratic institution simply because a tiny number of the suffrage elect useless MEPs (Members of the European Parliament). However, what MEPs think or believe is, ultimately, irrelevant. Their presence merely serves to add credence to the illusion of a democratic institution and helps waste money. Even if they all voted, for example against a law, they can’t legally make a change. The un-elected faceless EU commission - not the Parliament - has sole right to present proposals for legislation, extensive powers to intervene in the deliberations of the other institutions and is empowered to ignore and overrule suggestions put to it by the toothless parliament.
“The E.U study of a couple of years ago found that smokeless products were a gateway for young people to be hooked into smoking. It furthermore found that there was no evidence that smokeless products could be used as cessation aids and found that a high percentage of smokeless users continued to smoke.” Khalid - good posts. Those are the spurious EU SCENIHR findings I came across too. The executive summary also says: “There are suggestions that nasal snuff use increases the risk for certain cancers, including oral cancer.” Suggestions indeed! Where is the evidence? Such a lot of nonsense.
Wow I’am so sick of gateway b.s… Also smokeless is the most sucessfull form of nicotine replacement. I love how it seems that if you let people have to much power they suddenly feel no problem pulling whatever lie they want from their arse.
Actually milk is the gateway to both cigarette and narcotic addiction. It is a proven fact that all smokers and junkies used milk first.
Can’t forget about the bread Nachman. It was the bread they got hooked on first, then someone told them the milk would help with their cotton mouth that the bread gave them.
I obviously don’t know too much about the EU to comment on much, but it does seem like all developed countries (including the US of course) are working to take away what little pleasures people have in their lives…
Boy, I sure do love fear-mongering. An asteroid might hit the earth too!
it will the question is when?