EU Collaboration in tobacco control

1
EU Collaboration in tobacco control

• Fiona Godfrey
• Consultant in EU policy
• 88 Rue des Sources
• L-2542
• Luxembourg
• Tel [phone]
• Emailfgodfrey_at_pt.lu

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Three campaign examples

• 1998 first tobacco advertising directive
  (1998/43/EC)
• 1999 tobacco products directive (2001/37/EC)
• 2001 2nd tobacco advertising directive

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Who are we?

• Anyone committed to tobacco control who wants to
  join
• ERS, EHN, ECL, ENSP, individual medical and
  health professionals, individual tobacco control
  activists
• From all over the EU and beyond

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1st tobacco advertising directive 1998

• Various challenges - took 8 years to get
  agreement in Council
• Crucial stage - first half of 1998 in European
  Parliament
• Our task - to persuade EP to support the text as
  agreed by the member states - NO Amendments

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What did we do?

• Held London strategy meeting -brought together
  anyone interested - messages in Globalink,
  internal web sites, ENSP etc.
• Explained political situation, agreed no
  amendments position
• Decided on a strategy to bring this about

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The strategy

• Liaise closely with the Rapporteur of the
  directive in the Parliament
• Target key MEPs to explain NO amendments message
• Ensure that all TC activists across EU kept
  informed and on message
• Work with media - European Voice newspaper
• Produce own newsletter Info/Disinfo with updates
  and information for MEPs

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Result and consequences

• Directive adopted 1998
• Followed quickly by legal challenges
• NGOs unable to intervene directly in ECJ in
  support of directive
• Directive overturned by European Court in 2000
  BUT
• Many member states already introducing
  comprehensive bans

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Tobacco products directive

• January 2000 another strategy meeting held in
  London
• This time NGOs agreed a series of amendments
• Followed same tactics as before
• Get to know Rapporteur/key MEPs
• Work with health representatives on Council

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Products directive cont..

• Liaised closely with Commission
• Used Info/Disinfo to counter industry lobbying
  and tactics
• Made use of electronic networks to
• Update advocates outside Brussels
• Time letter writing campaigns to MEPs and Member
  State health and other ministers

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2nd tobacco advertising directive

• Replaced 1998 directive -limited to what ECJ said
  EU could do
• Very weak - press ban, tobacco sponsorship of
  cross-border events

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Our response

• Held 3rd strategy meeting - this time in Brussels
  at EP
• Very different campaign environment
• Everybody against us - not open to arguments on
  amendments
• Very conservative interpretation of EU law
• Little successful liaison between NGOs and
  Commission, EP. Most contact with Member States

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Cont..

• Parliament Rapporteur not as helpful
• NGOs relied on support from one Green MEP
• Tobacco industry had far more support than before
  in EP
• Almost total failure to get our message accepted

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Conclusions

• Do not become complacent
• Accept that you cannot keep everyone on board all
  of the time
• You win some, you lose some!
• BUT - even if you lose, you might still have won!

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One final thought

• Physicians have an influential role to play in
  the EU
• One letter from a respected medical doctor in
  our country can be worth fifty from other people.
  We respect doctors and we want to work with them
• Jules Maaten, MEP, Rapporteur on Directive
  2001/37/EC