BELGIUM: EU HEALTH MINISTERS BACK TOUGH NEWS LAWS WHICH EXTEND BAN ON TOBACCO ADVERTISING TO MEDIA SUCH AS RADIO, PRINT AND THE INTERNET

Record ID: 645587

  • Title: BELGIUM: EU HEALTH MINISTERS BACK TOUGH NEWS LAWS WHICH EXTEND BAN ON TOBACCO ADVERTISING TO MEDIA SUCH AS RADIO, PRINT AND THE INTERNET
  • Date: 2nd December 2002
  • Summary: SCU: (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) ITALIAN HEALTH MINSTER GIROLAMO SIRCHIA SAYING "It would be very difficult to justify for a health minister that the promotion of tobacco, which damages public health and which is responsible for heavy expenditure of funds which cannot be used elsewhere, for old people, for example."
  • Embargoed: 17th December 2002 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: BRUSSELS, BELGIUM
  • Country: Belgium
  • Topics: Communications,European Union,Health
  • Reuters ID: LVA939VUVE9RGBQLJ1Y6YJ9FU1N4
  • Story Text: European Union health ministers have backed tough new laws which extend a ban on tobacco advertising to media such as radio, print and the internet. Sources have said that Germany is likely to challenge the ban in the EU's top court.
    The ministers on Monday (December 2, 2002) also approved a list of recommendations aimed at boosting the fight against smoking inside the 15-nation bloc, where more than half a million people die of tobacco-related diseases every year.
    EU rules already prohibit tobacco advertising on television and most member states have other extensive bans in place. The new law aims to standardise the varied legislation of the 15 EU states and set clear bans in various media.
    The vote means the law has now been adopted and comes into force when it has been published in the EU's newspaper of record, the Official Journal. Member states then have two years to turn it into national laws.
    Certain areas remain unaffected, posters, billboards, cinema and so-called indirect advertising, such as cigarette logos on clothing. But the law does allow member states to regulate these areas for themselves if they wish.
    Magazines published outside the EU and distributed in member states will not be affected by the proposed ban. The approval came despite opposition by Britain and Germany.
    Germany, which voted against the law, said it could only agree if local print media were not included in the ban.
    A top German official said Berlin would examine the law and whether to challenge it at the European Court of Justice, because Germany believes the EU has not right to ban advertising that only appear on national markets.
    British officials said London was most concerned about whether the law would be able to withstand legal challenges from the tobacco industry.
    The European Commission, which drew up the proposals, had to go back to the drawing board two years ago after the European Court of Justice ruled that an earlier version of the law had tended to give Brussels power over health policy, an area reserved for control by EU member states.
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