The EU is considering a ban on filtered cigarettes and electronic tobacco products, Bild reports, writes UNN.
Details
The publication reportedly obtained a draft resolution of the EU Council for a meeting of the World Health Organization (WHO). In it, the EU Council states: "The report of the WHO research group 'on the regulation of tobacco products' 'directly recommends banning filters to reduce the taste and attractiveness of cigarettes'."
The EU Council, the publication writes, supports this WHO recommendation: "A ban on the production, import, distribution and sale of filtered cigarettes will make an important contribution to reducing tobacco consumption." A ban on e-cigarettes, the document states, is also "an additional regulatory option."
The draft resolution, according to the publication, is planned to be discussed at a WHO conference in Geneva in November.
"Such recommendations of the EU Council have important implications for the future regulation of the tobacco industry in the EU, including the revision of the so-called Tobacco Products Directive. This may also include product bans," the publication states.
The Austrian newspaper Kronen Zeitung previously reported that the European Commission, led by Ursula von der Leyen, also supports the ban.
"A ban on the sale of cigarettes is also possible. To reduce tobacco and nicotine consumption and addiction, the EU is even considering a ban on sales in shops, gas stations and kiosks," the publication writes.
"The clearly stated goal of the EU: environmental and health protection. These bans will be an important step towards implementing the WHO directive aimed at protecting groundwater and soil, as well as human health," the publication says.
According to the publication, German government representatives reportedly "welcomed" the filter ban at a meeting of the EU Council's working group on health on October 9, where the proposal was first discussed. A representative of the German Ministry of Health said that the common EU position is still in the process of "coordination."
The World Health Organization will hold the Conference of the Parties to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (COP11) in Geneva from November 17 to 22.
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