1. REGULATION OF TOBACCO AND RELATED PRODUCTS
To be considered on Monday 16 December at 4.30pm
Jane Ellison
That the Committee takes note of European Union Document No. 18068/12 and Addenda 1 to 7, a draft Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on the approximation of the laws, regulations and administrative provisions of the Member States concerning the manufacture, presentation and sale of tobacco and related products; welcomes the success of the Government so far in securing agreement for top priority issues such as the prohibition of characterising flavours, including menthol, in tobacco products; supports the Government’s continued pursuit of its key negotiating objectives during Trilogue negotiations, primarily a text which provides adequate flexibility for Member States to go further in certain key areas of public health policy, including packaging, where the evidence supports this and it is justified by the Treaty; further notes that the Government recognises the importance of further strengthening the internal market, taking into account a high level of health protection; and supports the Government’s view that the proposed Directive is good for public health and will be a positive measure in the Government’s efforts to reduce the number of children and young people who take up smoking in the UK.
This is premature since we don't know what the TPD looks like yet, particularly with regards to e-cigarettes. It should also be noted that the commitment to "further strengthening the internal market"—which is the only legitimate justification for EU action—is incompatible with the objective of providing "adequate flexibility for Member States to go further in certain key areas".
The committee's members are Diane Abbott, Luciana Berger, Paul Burstow, Sir Tony Cunningham, Jane Ellison, Kelvin Hopkins, Andrew Jones, Jonathan Lord, Seema Malhotra, John Penrose, Jim Shannon, Henry Smith and David Tredinnick. It's unclear whether members of the public can attend.