EC preparing new regulations on tobacco market could effect Poland's burley crop...

March 21, 2011 - The European Commission (EC) is working on new regulations concerning the tobacco market in Europe, Rzeczpospolita reported. One of the proposed changes is a ban on using any additives during tobacco processing. Work on the new regulations is to finish by 2012.

According to Grazyna Sokolowska, director of corporate and legal affairs at Imperial Tobacco Polska, the third largest cigarette producer in Poland, quoted by the newspaper, the ban may have a significant influence on Polish manufacturing facilities. She explains that 40% of the tobacco produced in the country is Burley, used in American blend type cigarettes, the most popular in Poland. However, sugar, which would be considered an additive under the new regulations, must be added during the production of Burley tobacco cigarettes.

The new law could negatively influence the 14,500 Polish tobacco farmers, which employ about 60,000 people including seasonal workers. According to the Polish Association of Tobacco Growers, as many as 20,000 planters and seasonal workers may lose their jobs in Poland as a result of a ban on additives.

The EC is also considering the introduction of unified cigarette packages. Such regulation would deprive cigarette companies of their rights to trademarks and logos, according to Przemyslaw Filipowicz, a member of the management board at JTI Polska, also quoted by the newspaper.

Most likely the same thing will happen: WHO FCTC COP-4 - good news, WILL not ban ingredients used in producing blended tobacco..

Reference: EC preparing new regulations on tobacco market, Retail and FMCG sector in Poland, 3/17/2011.

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