The Smoke Free Partnership (SFP) acknowledges the outcome of today’s Strasbourg plenary vote, in which the European Parliament failed to adopt an opinion on the revision of the Tobacco Taxation Directive (TTD). While the vote leaves the Parliament without a formal position on the file, it carries significant political weight and keeps the debate on EU tobacco taxation open.

By rejecting the report of the Parliament’s Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs (ECON) under the rapporteurship of Czech MEP Tomáš Kubín, the Parliament has left space for renewed discussion on the Directive’s core public health objectives and the consideration of more ambitious measures.

At the same time, the outcome represents a missed opportunity for the institution to adopt a stronger public health position, as several ambitious amendments tabled by the Left, Renew, the Greens and S&D were voted down. Nevertheless, the absence of an opinion is preferable to endorsing a weakened position that reflected long-standing tobacco industry narratives.

You can read more in the press release below