[Intl-tobacco] Globalink's European News bulletin 6 March 2000 (fwd)

[Robert Weissman]

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!#  GLOBALink Tobacco - Weekly European News Bulletin
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EUROPEAN BULLETIN EU0009 =96 6 March 2000

Headlines

DENMARK: BAT sells subsidiary

FINLAND: Update on Tobacco Act
FINLAND: Smoking ban in Joensuu?

GERMANY: Revenues from tobacco tax in 1999

ISRAEL: Benizri to ban smoking in hospitals
SWEDEN: No ban on tobacco related ads

UZBEKISTAN: Rise in exports of Uzbeck cigarettes

INTERNATIONAL

HONG KONG: Tobacco control office may be set up

JAPAN: JAL and ANA tighten smoking rule in airplanes

JAPAN: Government revises tobacco policy after industry pressure


DENMARK: BAT sells subsidiary

British American Tobacco (BAT) is to sell off its businesses in Denmark to
the Danish group Skandinavisk Tobakskompagni. The sell-off includes the
tobacco manufacturing plant Alfred & Christian Petersen and the pipe
producer Stanwell. These companies will in future be part of Skandinavisk
Tobak's subsidiaries Orlik Tobacco Company and Nordisk Tobaks Kompagni
respectively.

Source: Borsen (BSN) via the Gale Group, 11 Feb 2000



FINLAND: Update on Tobacco Act


Matti Rautalahti of the Cancer Society of Finland sent the following news:


"As many of you already know, Finland has recently renewed the national
Tobacco Act, originally enacted in 1976. The latest amendments will be
implemented gradually. The main changes are:

1. Restaurants have to reserve 30% of the seats to non-smokers and that
proportion has to increase to 50% by July 2001. Small restaurants (less tha=
n
50 sq.m) are excluded. Smoking at bar counters is prohibited if the bar
tender can not be protected from smoke exposure.

2. Ambient tobacco smoke is classified as a carcinogen. This means, among
other things, that all employees exposed to tobacco smoke (mostly restauran=
t
workers) have to be registered and their health monitored.

3. The retailers of tobacco products have to draw up and implement a plan t=
o
prevent sales of tobacco products and smoking accessories to persons under
the age of eighteen. (The sale of tobacco products to persons under 18 was
already prohibited.)"

Correspondence from :Matti Rautalahti, Ylil=E4=E4k=E4ri - Chief Medical Off=
icer
Suomen Sy=F6p=E4yhdistys - Cancer Society of Finland
Liisankatu 21 B, PL 169, 00171 Helsinki, Finland
Tel. +358-9-135 33 237; Fax. +358-9-135 1093 e-mail:
matti.rautalahti@cancer.fi





FINLAND: Smoking ban in Joensuu?

The Finnish town of Joensuu is considering banning smoking at events, such
as rock festivals. Town board member Pertti Ahtiainen has initiated a
"Smoke-free Joensuu" project which includes an idea of banning smoking at
indoor events supported or arranged by the town. Ahtiainen suspects that
rumours of banning smoking at festivals has been circulated in order to mak=
e
the idea sound ridiculous. According to professor Pekka Puska of the
National Public Health Institute, bans will become more common. The most
important thing is to ban smoking indoors where it disturbs non-smoking
people.

Source: Ilta-Sanomat (XFH) via the Gale Group, 14 Feb 2000 p.A8-A9



GERMANY: Revenues from tobacco tax in 1999

In Germany, revenues from the tobacco tax amounted to around DM 22.8bn in
1999, up DM 1.159bn from 1998. The increase was due to the end of the duty
free trade, a moderate price increase for factory cigarettes and stocking u=
p
purchases on the occasion of the millennium. The latter factor accounted fo=
r
an estimated increase in revenues from the tobacco tax of DM 650mn. The
number of taxed cigars and cigarillos climbed by 14.9% to around 2.29bn
while that of taxed cigarettes rose by 5% to around 145.3bn in 1999. The
amount of taxed fine cut tobacco increased by 4.4% to 12,682.2 t while that
of taxed pipe tobacco decreased by 2% to 983.2 t. The amount of fine cut
rolls for which tax was paid plummeted by 49.5% to 1,313.9 t. Germany's
market for tobacco products had a volume of DM 41.2bn in 1999, of which the
tobacco tax accounted for DM 22.8bn and the value added tax for DM 5.68bn.

Source: Die Tabak Zeitung (TZ) via The Gale Group, 21 Jan 2000 p.1



ISRAEL: Benizri to ban smoking in hospitals

The Health Minister, Mr. Shlomo Benizri, has decided to issue regulations
banning smoking throughout all hospitals. These will effectively eliminate
hospital "smoking corners" - which have not been effective in protecting
non-smokers and have set a bad example to patients.

In order to become smoke free, all the hospitals will soon be instructed by
the minister to use hospital guards for handing out fines to violators - NI=
S
250 for the first offence and more for subsequent offences.

The minister=92s chief aide in charge of anti-smoking activities, Amos
Danieli, said the activity will not make profits for the hospitals, but it
will improve the atmosphere, both literally and figuratively.

According to the law dealing with smoking in the workplace, any employer ma=
y
either bar smoking entirely in the workplace or allow it in closed,
well-aired smoking corners. But in many cases, these corners have been open
and poorly ventilated, disturbing and endangering non-smokers.

Benizri=92s decision is apparently justified by a new survey of 428 employe=
es
of Meir Hospital in Kfar Sava, which found that hospital workers are "ripe"
for the establishment of smoke-free medical institutions.

Over a third of the Meir staff said a smoke-free hospital policy could be
adopted, and only 19% said it would be impossible. Eighty-six percent of al=
l
employees and 41% of the smokers among them advocated strict enforcement of
laws restricting smoking in workplaces, while two-thirds of all staffers
said they would be ready to wear a "Smoke-Free Supporter" button on their
uniform and point out to smokers that they were violating regulations.

Source: Jerusalem Post, 29/2/00




SWEDEN: No ban on tobacco related ads

The proposed law against all explicit and indirect advertisements for
tobacco has been stopped by the Supreme Court=92s judicial council (LagrVde=
t).
The council says if such ads are to be banned, the constitution must be
changed first, as the law is not compatible with the freedom of press and
speech. The proposed law would have stopped the marketing of goods carrying
the same brand names as cigarettes, for example Marlboro Country and Camel
Boots.

Source: Dagens Industri (DI) The Gale Group, 15 Feb 2000




UZBEKISTAN: Rise in exports of Uzbeck cigarettes

An official on the Board of an Uzbek-British joint venture of the British
American Tobacco Co. told Itar-Tass that about 2,000 million
Uzbekistan-produced cigarettes are to be exported this year. Last year the
company exported more than 1,000 million cigarettes worth 5,000 USD to ten
countries. The British company is one of major investors to the Uzbek
economy. Its equity share in the joint venture charter capital is 97
percent. The overall cost of the project is US$ 292 million, with US$ 247
million being already used. Of this sum, US$ 100 million was spent on
building a tobacco factory in Samarkand. The full rated capacity of the
factory is 12,000 million cigarettes a year.

Source: 29/2/00 Itar-Tass via NewsEdge Corporation




INTERNATIONAL

HONG KONG: Tobacco control office may be set up

The Health and Welfare Department is considering setting up a Tobacco
Control Office. The office would consist of an inspection team which could
help prosecute smokers who smoke in restricted areas such as restaurants an=
d
shopping malls. A legislator from the medical sector has supported the
setting up of such an office. The office should have some education purpose=
s
and prosecution powers. According to the Smoking (Public) (Amendment)
Ordinance effective from 1 July in 1998, people are banned from  smoking in
shopping malls, department stores, supermarkets and convenience stores.
Restaurants with over 200 seats should reserve not less than one third of
their places for non-smokers. People who smoke in restricted areas would
face a fine of HK$ 5,000.

Source: Sing Tao Daily (XKL) via The Gale Group, 13 Feb 2000 p.a3



JAPAN: AL and ANA tighten smoking rule in airplanes

According to a Japanese report, ANA and JAL airlines will blacklist some
passengers who continue to smoke in cabins after being warned by flight
attendants.

Source: Oriental Daily (ATX) 10 Feb 2000



JAPAN: Government revises tobacco policy after industry pressure

After announcing various targets for reducing tobacco consumption, the
Japanese Ministry of Health and Welfare has decided to weaken these targets=
=2E
This resulted from strong opposition from the tobacco industry including
Japan Tobacco Inc.

Under the new targets, the Government is still aiming for zero prevalence o=
f
smoking among minors by 2010 but the target to halve per capita cigarette
consumption has now been reduced. To keep face and still heed the target of
cutting cigarette consumption, the ministry has decided to set up support
groups for those who want to quit or cut down their consumption.

Source: Nikkei Net Interactive (ATM) via The Gale Group, 11 Feb 2000