EUROPEAN NEWS BULLETIN

[Robert Weissman <rob@essential.org>]

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EUROPEAN NEWS  BULLETIN - EU9817 05 MAY 1998

CONTENTS:

EUROPE - SPECIFIC COUNTRIES

GERMANY: Female smokers and lung cancer.
ITALY: 1997 results from Sasib.
SPAIN: Congress stance on contraband cigarettes.
SPAIN: Philip Morris takes lead in 1st quarter.
SWEDEN: Centre Party not to support tax cut.
UK:  Firms pay L100 for Labour policy seminars.
UK:  Hospital brings the smokers in from cold.
UK:  League hit L1m jackpot.
UK:  Plot to thwart tobacco ad ban.

INTERNATIONAL - SPECIFIC COUNTRIES

USA:  Liggett promises co-operation.
USA:  Tobacco firm axed warning to mothers.


EUROPE - SPECIFIC COUNTRIES

GERMANY: Female smokers and lung cancer.

In Germany, one in three women in the 25-34 year-old age group 
is a regular smoker.  Very young women account for the majority 
of smokers, for example, 29% of 15-year-old girls are regular 
smokers. Approximately 60% of lung cancer cases among women in 
Germany are associated with smoking.  

Source: Fortschritte der Medizin (XGV) 30 Mar 1998  p.14
Language: GERMAN No. 06616225
Source:  Information Access Company 30/4/98


ITALY: 1997 results from Sasib.

The Italian packaging machinery producer Sasib will merge in July
1998 with its parent company Cir. In 1997, this Italian company 
decreased both sales and operating profits  to L1,476bn (-7%) and 
to L10bn (-L 37bn), respectively, compared to 1996. The tobacco 
machinery division recorded a -27% drop in sales to L164bn. 

Source: Il Sole 24 Ore (ISO) 17 Apr 1998p.36 
Language: ITALIAN No. 06617402
Source:  Information Access Company 30/4/98


SPAIN: Congress stance on contraband cigarettes.

The Spanish Congress has decided not to include in the Tobacco 
Law a contraband cigarette tax (payable by manufacturers) of Pta 
50 for every pack of contraband  tobacco confiscated as well as
a Pta 0.25 tax for storage of such contraband items. Although 
Congress has decided to postpone further discussion of the tax 
it wants the tax to serve as a warning to manufacturers. A study
group is to be put together to look at concrete measures for 
controlling contraband in Spain.  

Source: Expansion (EXN)17 Apr 1998 p.8 
Language: SPANISH No. 06616286
Source:  Information Access Company 30/4/98


SPAIN: Philip Morris takes lead in 1st quarter.

In the first quarter of 1998, sales of Virginia tobacco cigarettes 
in Spain were up 17.92% on the same period one year earlier, to a 
total 652,911mn packs sold.  The ranking by number of packs sold 
is as follows: Philip Morris Richmond - 239,356mn (up 24.12%), 
Tabacalera - 236,518mn (up 15.47%), Reynolds Tobacco - 83,170mn 
(up 6.92%), BAT - 45,754mn (up 5.64%), Rothmans - 12,359mn (down 
6.66%), Imperial Tobacco increased sales by 237% to 9,471mn, 
Gallaher Limited increased sales by 180% to 2,308mn, and Swedish 
Match increased sales by 311% to 210mn packs. CITA Tabacos de 
Canarias increased sales by 32.90% to 16,846mn. Total Turkish 
tobacco sales were 296,704mn packs, up 6.07%. Total cigar sales 
reached 152,920mn units, up 1.62%.  

Source: Cinco Dias (CDS) 20 Apr 1998  p.4 
Language: SPANISH No. 06616131
Source:  Information Access Company 30/4/98


SWEDEN: Centre Party not to support tax cut.

There is a possibility that the Centre Party will not support 
the Swedish Government's proposal to reduce the excise on tobacco 
and alcohol. Per-Ola Eriksson, leader of the Centre Party's 
parliamentary group, said that a tax cut would go against the 
stated aims to improve public health, however, he added that 
the issue has not yet been discussed in the group. 

Source: Dagens Nyheter (XSU)  19 Apr 1998  p.A9 
Language: SWEDISH No. 06615757
Source:  Information Access Company 30/4/98


UK:  Firms pay L100 for Labour policy seminars.

The Independent reports that lobbyists from firms including BAT 
have paid L100 each to attend seminars on how Labour policy is made.

Source:  The Independent 06/4/98


UK:  Hospital brings the smokers in from cold.

Addenbrookes hospital in Cambridge, is believed to be the first 
hospital in the country to reintroduce a smoking room for visitors 
and patients. Christine Anderson, Addenbrooke's spokeswoman said 
that the hospital's trust had decided to reintroduce a smoking 
room in order to stop patients and visitors from smoking outside 
the main entrance of the hospital. Commenting on the decision ASH 
said: "We think it's incredibly disappointing and sends the wrong 
signal to patients who are recovering from very serious illnesses. 
Being in hospital is serious and their best chance is to give up
smoking. It's a pity the hospital is not concentrating its efforts 
on persuading people to do that."

Source:  The Times 30/4/98


UK:  League hit L1m jackpot.

The Rugby Football League have extended their agreement with 
Gallaher for the Silk Cut Challenge Cup.  The present three-year 
agreement, is worth L2.1 million.  The League have agreed a further 
two-year deal when the present contract expires in 1999, worth L1.8 
million.  Under the proposed European Union advertising directive 
this type of sponsorship is to be phased out over the next five years.

Source:  Daily Telegraph 01/5/98; Evening Standard 30/4/98; The 
Independent 01/5/98; The Guardian 01/5/98


UK:  Plot to thwart tobacco ad ban.

Sunday Business reports that tobacco companies secretly planned 
to beat anticipated advertising bans years in advance by attaching 
cigarette brand names to other products.  An internal document from 
BAT shows how executives devised the strategy as far back as 1979.  
The document contradicts company claims that other products - such 
as clothing, footwear and fashion accessories - have nothing to do 
with promoting cigarettes.  The research department's document says:
"Opportunities should be exploited by all companies so as to find 
non-tobacco products and other services which can be used to 
communicate the brand or house name, together with other visual
identifiers."   ASH Director Clive Bates, said: "This shows that 
initiatives posing as diversification are back-door tobacco 
advertising."

Source:  Sunday Business 05/4/98


INTERNATIONAL - SPECIFIC COUNTRIES

USA:  Liggett promises co-operation.

In the US, tobacco manufacturers Liggett have agreed to co-operate 
fully with the US Justice Department's criminal investigation of 
the tobacco industry.  The Justice Department announced recently 
that Liggett had agreed to provide "truthful, complete and accurate"
information about the extent of its knowledge about fraud, the 
health hazards of smoking and the addictive nature of nicotine. 
Federal investigators are looking for evidence that the tobacco 
companies engaged in mail fraud, committed perjury, or broke laws 
against making false statements.  In return, Liggett is likely to 
be exempt from the $500 billion dollar charge Congress wants to
impose on the industry.

Source:  Financial Times 29/4/98; The Guardian 29/4/98; Wall Street 
Journal (Europe) 29/4/98; The Times 29/4/98; International Herald
Tribune 29/4/98


USA:  Tobacco firm axed warning to mothers.

Previously secret tobacco company documents from the 1970s - 
obtained by ASH - confirm that British American Tobacco (BAT) 
considered and then decided against telling pregnant women of 
the danger smoking posed to their unborn babies.  The documents 
show that at a meeting in May 1974, BAT's executives considered 
making it world-wide policy "not to encourage smoking, i) by 
children ii) by pregnant women iii) to excess".  In a draft typed 
document, the second category, that is pregnant women, is crossed 
through several times. In the final document, there are only two 
categories, and pregnant women do not feature.  This decision was 
taken despite the medical evidence gathered since the 1950s showing 
that smoking caused harm to the unborn baby. The documents were 
made public as a result of the on-going Minnesota lawsuit. Solicitor 
Martin Day of Leigh Day and Co, said the revelations in the internal 
document could open the way for children of women who smoked during 
pregnancy to sue for compensation.  Clive Bates of ASH said, "Perhaps
the decision to scrub the pregnant women from the document was based 
on legal concerns.  The moment they acknowledged that there was 
something to discourage they would have admitted there was something
harmful about pregnant women smoking".

Source:  The Guardian 30/4/98

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