[Intl-tobacco] 8 countries disregard EU ad ban

[robert weissman]

Charlotte Observer
Oct. 29, 2005

8 countries disregard EU ad ban
Germany and Spain among countries that still allow tobacco ads
THOMAS MULIER BLOOMBERG NEWS

A ban on tobacco advertising in the European Union is being flouted in
as many as a third of the bloc's member states, according to the World
Health Organization.

Eight countries haven't yet told the European Commission that they have
enforced the measure, said Marta Seoane, a WHO spokeswoman. Germany,
Europe's largest tobacco market, and Spain are allowing companies like
British American Tobacco Plc and Gallaher Group Plc to advertise in
print, radio and the Internet three months after the plan was supposed
to come into effect.

"It's a great shame," said Friedrich Wiebel, head of the Munich-based
German Smoke-Free Alliance. "It's absurd."

Advertising is one of the few regulatory issues affecting the $160
billion tobacco industry where EU countries have yet to get tough.

France and Germany have raised cigarette taxes, while Italy and Ireland
have banned smoking in public buildings. That's prompted consumers in
the region to cut back, forcing companies to look elsewhere for growth.

Consumption in Western Europe is dropping by 2 percent to 3 percent a
year, according to Jonathan Fell, an analyst at Morgan Stanley in
London. By prohibiting tobacco advertising, governments can reduce
cigarette consumption by another 7 percentage points, according to the
WHO, because ads help cigarette makers hook new smokers.

The other six countries that haven't yet notified the commission are the
Czech Republic, Ireland, Luxembourg, Hungary, Portugal and Slovenia,
according to Seoane.

European Health Commissioner Markos Kyprianou is investigating whether
countries are failing to enforce the ban, according to his spokesman,
Philip Tod. Kyprianou pledged last month to take legal action against
any offenders.

The EU directive doesn't forbid tobacco advertising on billboards or in
cinemas, though states can choose to do so. Cinema ads are legal in
Germany, while billboard ads are allowed in Spain.

"It is really an absolute bare minimum of standards," said Amanda
Sandford, head of research at London-based anti- smoking group ASH U.K.

"It is a really poor show by these countries if they can't do at least
that."