EU Failure to Reach Agreement on Tobacco Policies a Setback for Global Public Health and Symptom of Big Tobacco’s Grip

Washington, D.C. – Member states of the European Union have failed to reach an agreement on EU-wide efforts to reform tobacco tax policies, representing a major setback for global public health and for countries around the world waiting for the EU’s leadership on tobacco control.  

After intense negotiations, much of the Tobacco Taxation Directive’s (TTD) strongest and most urgently needed measures have been watered down. This includes a failure to reach a minimum tax rate for nicotine pouches, lower minimum tax rates for tobacco products and the removal of measures meant to ensure tobacco taxes keep up with inflation. Combined, these sacrifices will lead to weaker public health protections for millions of Europeans. 

The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids joins Smoke-Free Partnership in calling for public health to remain at the center of these crucial negotiations. 

Higher tobacco taxes are not only urgently needed across Europe, but they are also the single most effective way to drive down rates of tobacco use and prevent people from ever starting to smoke.  

The current version of the TTD falls short of its promises. It went from a strong public health mandate intended to drastically reduce smoking across the EU, meet goals outlined in the EU’s Beat Cancer Plan and to generate needed revenue for member states to something that will accomplish none of these. 

Unsurprisingly, the world’s largest tobacco companies have pushed back on EU tax efforts with all their might – because tobacco companies will stop at nothing to protect their profits and keep people smoking. The EU’s failure to reach an agreement on tobacco taxes is a symptom of Big Tobacco’s growing influence in places previously closed off to industry. The EU can and should turn these efforts around by prioritizing public health and shutting the door on Big Tobacco’s wish list.  When the world’s largest tobacco companies are asking for something, the results will be measured in human lives lost to tobacco use.  

This fight is far from over. The EU has the chance to lead by example and adopt meaningful tobacco tax measures that will save lives and protect kids from tobacco and nicotine addiction for generations to come. The world is watching: the EU should make use of this moment.