European News Bulletin - EU9948 - 20 December 1999 (fwd)

[Robert Weissman <rob@essential.org>]

Globalink's European News Bulletin follows:


EUROPEAN BULLETIN EU9948 – 20 December 1999

Headlines

CROATIA: New Tobacco Control Law

FRANCE: SEITA to launch fruit scented cigarettes
FRANCE: Sales of nicotine patches on the rise
NORWAY:  Warning labels for snuff
RUSSIA: Tobacco firms campaign to cut teen smoking 
SWITZERLAND: BAT to withdraw from Geneva
SWITZERLAND: Smoking in schools
UK: Govt wins latest round of tobacco ads ban


INTERNATIONAL

SOUTH KOREA: smoking among youth on the rise


Full Text

CROATIA: New Tobacco Control Law

Ramon Tripalo sent the following good news:

"Starting from January 1st 2000, the new Tobacco Control Law is to be
applied in Croatia. It seems to be much better that the previous
regulations, although some of the good ideas haven’t been passed....

The new regulations are many – here is a list of the most important
issues:

1. Banning the sale of tobacco products to persons under age of 18, with
an obligatory regulation to display a sign - "Selling of cigarettes is
forbidden to persons under age 18", readable from at least 10 metres.

2. Prohibiting the sale and production of all the tobacco brands with tar
yield of 15 mg or more, starting Jan. 1st 2000, and 12 mg or more from Jan
1st 2001.

3. Prohibiting smoking in all educational, children’s care and health
premises.

4. Prohibiting smoking on live TV shows.

5. Smoking to be restricted in most public places. Smoking areas can be
provided but should not exceed 30 % of the area.

6. Prohibiting smoking in bakeries, candy stores and restaurants that do
not serve alcohol. Restriction of smoking in all other restaurants to
designated areas.

7. Prohibiting all tobacco related advertisements (including indirect
advertising), except for special sport events given special approval from
Croatian Government (a real disaster!!!!)

8. Fines starting from 200 kunas for individual perpetrators, up to
500.000 kunas from companies.

9. The establishment of a Tobacco Control Commission at the state level,
by the Government."

As Ramona has pointed out, the special dispensation for sports events
given approval by the Government could undermine this otherwise sound
policy. He would welcome comments which should be sent to:
dz-daruvar@bj.tel.hr





FRANCE: SEITA to launch fruit scented cigarettes

French tobacco manufacturer, Seita, may launch its new fruit scented
cigarettes during the year 2000. The company has been testing its filtered
and un-filtered Gauloises brand with fruit aromas on customers in French
regions, Ile-de-France and the Rhone. The fruit aromas, including peach,
apricot and blueberry, are supposed to make the smell of the smoke more
tolerable for non-smokers.  Source: Le Quotidien du Medecin via the Gale
Group, 8/12/99


FRANCE: Sales of nicotine patches on the rise

Sales of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) in France are expected to rise
by 50%, according to Novartis, the producer of the Nicotinell and
Nicopatch patches, now that the stop smoking aids can be sold over the
counter.  The French market is growing by 26% on a yearly basis, said
Novartis.  Patches now account for FFr 221mn out of a total turnover of
315mn for NRT but the market is expected to boom as these products may now
be sold without any prescription following a decree published by the
French official journal on 5 December 1999.  The higher number of people
who want to take advantage of the new Millennium to stop smoking (four
times higher than the usual New Year’s resolutions) is also expected to
account for the rise in sales. Almost two out of ten smokers interviewed
plan to stop smoking in the very first days of 2000, a survey by
SmithKline Beecham reveals. La Tribune, via the Gale Group, 7 Dec 1999
 

NORWAY:  warning labels for snuff

Labour MP Einar Olav Skogholt tried unsuccessfully to persuade the
Norwegian Health Minister to consider changing the warning label on snuff
packages. The present text on snuff packages states "snuff causes cancer".  
Skogholt wanted the text to be changed to "snuff may damage your health"
which is the text recommended by the EU for Sweden. Source, Bergens
Tidende, the Gale Group, 18 Nov 1999


RUSSIA: Tobacco firms campaign to cut teen smoking


Representatives from British American Tobacco, JT International, Reemtsma
and Philip Morris have visited tobacco kiosks throughout the capital in a
bid to persuade vendors not to sell cigarettes to teenagers. Phillip
Morris spokesman Pyotr Lidov said the initiative aims to enlighten
cigarette sellers and bring them around to the company’s point of view. He
boasted that his employees have visited 1,112 out of the 8,500 stores and
kiosks selling cigarettes in Moscow.

Shortly before launching the crusade, Phillip Morris conducted a poll of
personnel at 300 cigarette stores in the city to get an idea of the scale
of the task ahead. Eighty-one percent of respondents said adolescents
should not smoke, 41 percent said they do not sell cigarettes to
teenagers, 40 percent said it is difficult to determine a youngster’s age
by sight and 19 percent admitted that they sell cigarettes to anybody.

Participants say one serious hurdle facing the campaign is the widespread
sale of cigarettes by individual vendors, mostly the ubiquitous babushkas
outside Moscow’s metro stations.

Admitting the problem, BAT Corporate Relations Director Vladimir Aksyonov
said he hopes it can be resolved, while Leonid Belov from Moscow City Hall
confirmed the city’s determination to tackle the situation.

In 1994, the Moscow government prohibited the sale of alcohol, tobacco and
playing cards to adolescents, but no measures have been taken to enforce
the ruling.

"Maybe it’s good that they [Moscow’ authorities] haven’t fined anybody for
selling cigarettes to adolescents," Lidov said. "I don't think punitive
measures will be effective in this particular situation. In persuading
cigarette vendors, we should appeal to their parental feelings. They
definitely wouldn’t want their own children to become smokers."

No figures exist to show what slice of the tobacco market is accounted for
by adolescents.

Igor Semenov, acting CEO of one of Moscow’ largest food stores
Novoarbatsky Gastronom, said his store is not afraid of joining the
campaign.

Of seven tobacco vendors polled by The Russia Journal last week, all
agreed that cigarettes should not be sold to adolescents and that
teenagers constitute only a small proportion of their clientele. One
vendor, Svetlana Samoletova, said she never sells cigarettes to
adolescents. Every time she has any doubts about a customer’s age, she
asks him or her to show a passport. While agreeing that tobacco should not
be sold to teens, a salesman from the Rassvet na Valovoi store poured
scorn on the campaign. "It’s senseless and will bring about nothing. If
they invite me to join, I’ll refuse."

A similar opinion was expressed by a saleswoman at a kiosk near Paveletsky
Railway Station. "It’s impossible to cut teens off from tobacco. If I
refuse to sell them cigarettes, they’ll go and buy them from a babushka
near the metro."

Lyuba and Lilya, two 16-year-olds, said they find it convenient to buy
cigarettes from babushkas near the metro. They said no action could
succeed in cutting teens off from smoking. "Children will ask adults to
buy cigarettes for them or invent other ways to bypass the prohibition,"
Lyuba said.

(C) 1999 Norasco-Russia Journal, November 11, 1999



SWITZERLAND: BAT to withdraw from Geneva

Due to the merger of British American Tobacco and Rothmans International,
BAT International will discontinue the duty free business in Geneva by the
end of June 2000. The move will affect a staff of 250. The operations will
be concentrated at Rothmans in Zug. Neue Zurcher Zeitung, via The Gale
Group 09 Dec 1999
 

SWITZERLAND: smoking in schools

The Rittermatte Secondary School in Biel, Switzerland, has concluded
contracts with parents after a general ban of smoking was not successful.
In a written statement, the parents give their consent allowing their
children to smoke at certain times and in special rooms.

Source: Der Bund, via the Gale Group, 18 Nov 1999
 
UK: Government wins latest round in tobacco advertising ban

Government plans to outlaw tobacco advertising in the UK ahead of other
European countries have been boosted after the Court of Appeal overturned
a ruling that the proposed move was illegal.

By a 2-1 majority, the appeal court ruled the government was entitled to
implement the European tobacco advertising directive, despite a challenge
brought by the tobacco industry in the European Court.

But the appeal court refused to allow the government to introduce the ban
immediately. It agreed to continue an injunction preventing implementation
of the directive to allow tobacco groups Imperial, Gallaher, Rothmans UK
and British American Tobacco to ask the House of Lords for a final
decision on the issue.

It is not expected the government could implement the ban until January at
the earliest when the House of Lords is thought likely to decide whether
to hear the case.

Alan Milburn, health secretary, said: "This is a victory for public
health. Banning tobacco advertising is widely supported both by the public
and by the medical profession - now we have the backing of the courts.
Evidence shows that banning tobacco advertising reduces death and disease
caused by smoking."

The two judges who overturned a previous High Court ruling ruled that
whatever the legal uncertainties surrounding the directive, the UK
government had a right to act as it thought appropriate in the public
interest.

The tobacco companies say the directive is unlawful because it restricts
the rights and freedoms of all those in the industry, including
manufacturers and retailers. Their complaints will be heard by the
European Court in October 2000.


Source: Financial Times, Friday, 17/12/99


INTERNATIONAL


SOUTH KOREA: smoking among youth on the rise

A recent survey by the Korean Association of Smoking and Health reveals
that smoking among younger people in South Korea is on the rise. The
survey shows that 6.2% of middle school boys aged between 14 and 16 polled
smoked, compared with 3.9% in 1997.  For middle school girls, the smoking
rate dropped slightly from 3.9% in 1997 to 3.1% in 1999. The smoking rate
of high school boys had risen from 23.9% in 1988 to 32.4% in 1991 and
35.3% in 1997 before falling to 32.6% in 1999. The survey also shows that
7.5% of high school girls polled are habitual smokers.

The Korea Herald, via the Gale Group, 24 Nov 1999





Amanda Sandford Research Manager ASH 102 Clifton Street LONDON EC2A 4HW
tel: 0171 739 5902 fax: 0171 613 0531