MEP calls for EU-wide tobacco ban by 2025..

July 26, 2008 - Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Avril Doyle has called for legislation to make it illegal to sell cigarettes and cigars within the European Union by 2025.

While the European Commission continues to try and drive its plan to raise tobacco taxes throughout the 27-nation bloc, Irish MEP Avril Doyle has called for legislation to make it illegal to sell cigarettes and cigars within the European Union by 2025. Doyle is the leader of the Irish faction within the centre-right European People's Party (EPP) which recently organised a conference aimed at developing ways of complying with the World Health Organisation's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, Article 5.3. This obliges all countries that have signed up to outlaw lobbying by tobacco companies on any public health policies. Effectively this means that politicians will cease to talk to tobacco companies or their lobbyists on public health issues of any kind. Tobacco industry 'at odds' with public health.

Reference:
MEP calls for EU-wide tobacco ban by Doug Newhouse, 7/22/2008.

The European Union already has in place a ban on the sale of oral snuff. (TobaccoWatch.org)