Bid to resolve tobacco policy ‘contradiction’

Date: 26/09/1996

By Michael Mann

PLANS to modify the EU's tobacco regime have been put on hold temporarily because of concern over an apparent contradiction in the Union's policy towards the sector.

That concern has prompted Health Commissioner Pádraig Flynn to call for an orientation debate at the full Commission's 23 October meeting.

The Commission clearly faces a major dilemma in reconciling the EU's continued support for tobacco growers in the form of substantial subsidies while, at the same time, taking a strong stance against smoking.

“This type of orientation debate can flush things out. Basically, we cannot be singing two different tunes,” said one of Flynn's officials.

“Everyone accepts that consumption and production are two different things, but to the public our policy does appear schizophrenic. Lots of people are wondering why we produce second-rate tobacco to dump elsewhere on the world market.”

But this has not prevented Agriculture Commissioner Franz Fischler's experts from putting the finishing touches to a review of the common organisation of the tobacco market, which was originally due to be adopted by the Commission on 9 October but has now been temporarily put on the back-burner. The indications are that Directorate-General VI (agriculture) feels the regime has worked reasonably successfully since 1992, and will propose making only minor changes to the system of aid paid to the thousands of tobacco growers operating from Belgium to Austria.

According to officials at the EU farm lobby COPA/COGECA, the only major changes to the system will involve incentives to encourage farmers to produce better quality tobacco and greater flexibility in transferring quotas between producers and different varieties.

DGVI appears to have rejected calls from DGXI (environment) for a system of support payments made on a per hectare basis, an approach increasingly applied in other agricultural sectors. It believes this would not make much sense, given that the average producer grows tobacco on just 1.4 hectares of land.

Most of the existing features of the market are likely to remain in place, including differentiated premiums for each of the eight varieties grown in Europe and incentive schemes for quality varieties. Since earlier this year, 1&percent; of all aid payments have been put towards research activities.

COPA/COGECA claims that efforts to encourage closer relations between growers, processors and the cigarette manufacturers have been stymied by a lack of enthusiasm from the multinationals.

Despite the determination of DGVI to press ahead with its plans, Flynn is continuing his own crusade to reduce tobacco consumption, beginning with a major conference on tobacco and health in Helsinki on 2 October. The event will also see the launch of a new “European Network on Smoking Prevention”, a bid to draw together a previously fragmented European anti-smoking lobby.

The Commissioner's staff say this will provide Flynn with a forum to flag up his position before the full Commission debates the issue.

Despite the apparent contradiction in EU policy, some Commissioners - particularly those from the producer countries - may argue that tight rules are required on advertising tobacco, while maintaining protection for those whose livelihoods depend on growing it.

But a Flynn aide commented: “You have to ask yourself whether there is another way they can earn their living.”

The Commissioner is also hoping that the Irish presidency will take up his proposal for an EU-wide ban on tobacco advertising when health ministers next meet on 12 November.

In preparation for the November meeting, Irish officials have prepared a draft resolution on ways to reduce smoking. This calls for further restrictions on access to tobacco for young people, the extension of non-smoking areas, and an increase in tobacco taxation.

The Commission is asked to take account of tobacco's detrimental effect on health “in the evaluation of its policies in various fields insofar as they have relevance to tobacco” - a clear reference to the work being undertaken in DGVI.