EU: Parliament votes on Directive

This week the European Parliament (EP) is due to vote (in its May Plenary Session meeting in Strasbourg) on the Council Common Position banning tobacco advertising in the EU. Christian Cabrol (F, UFE), the Rapporteur, is expected to recommend approval without amendment, despite the claim by the EP’s Legal Affairs Committee that the legal basis of the Directive is dubious and could be open to challenge in the European Court of Justice.

As matters stand the Directive exempts most sponsorship by tobacco companies from the provisions of the legislation for a period of eight years, ending not later than 1 October 2006. There is also a one year period of grace from the date of the enactment of the legislation for newspaper advertising. The legislation will not apply to practical information such as prices given by retail outlets at the points of sale and it will not affect professional circulars used in the tobacco trade.