Eurolink News

Irish MEP spearheads bid to silence the tobacco lobby (17/7/08)

July 17, 2008 at 4:21 pm Leave a comment

Ireland lead the way by introducing the ban on smoking in the workplace – now the whole world is gradually heading towards a smoke-free environment. Last week saw a major international gathering in South Africa of representatives from 157 countries who have signed the world’s first public health treaty – the UN Framework Convention of Tobacco Control.
Meanwhile, a meeting of tobacco control experts in Brussels was hosted by Ireland East MEP Avril Doyle. The Fine Gael MEP, together with leading health advocates, called for the tobacco industry to be excluded from influencing public health policy. ‘We want to draw the attention of the EU institutions to Article 5 of the Convention,’ said Ms Doyle, ‘which obliges countries who have signed the treaty to protect public health policies from commercial and other vested interests of the tobacco industry at national, EU and international level.’
Participants heard how the tobacco industry is increasingly targeting developing countries through manipulative marketing strategies. ‘The tactics employed by the tobacco lobby are many and devious,’ said the Irish MEP. ‘They include covertly recruiting scientists to downplay the link between smoking and disease, blocking legislation to curtail advertising and regulation, buying SUVs for border control authorities, and cynically encouraging smoking among poor and illiterate people, who often can’t read the health warnings on the packet.’
Tobacco kills around five million smokers worldwide each year – more people than AIDS, legal and illegal drugs, road accidents, murder and suicide combined. Seven out of ten smokers admit they wish they’d never started. ‘It’s vitally important that that EU countries and institutions don’t entertain representations from the tobacco industry when it comes to deciding public health policy,’ said Ms Doyle. ‘We’re all hoping that, say in twenty years’ time, we will no longer allow this killer drug to be sold in the EU at all.’

Entry filed under: Consumers and the EU, Health and the EU. Tags: .