Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-06-13-Speech-2-094"
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"en.20000613.10.2-094"2
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"Mr President, this was a highly controversial report within the Industry Committee which only approved its opinion by 29 votes to 26. The division in the Environment Committee was overcome as the major groups managed to agree a compromise.
On behalf of the Socialist Group, we support this compromise. We reject the view that the legal basis of the report is wrong. We support the creation within the EU of a single market in cigarette and tobacco products. At the same time, within the limits of Community law, we would like to use the opportunity of maintaining and strengthening public health protection within the EU. We believe that nicotine and tar levels need to be further limited and new limits should be imposed on carbon monoxide levels. We believe that health warnings should be bolder, clearer and larger. Nevertheless, my concern is that in some areas, our good intentions are in advance of common sense.
If we are to have a single market, surely we should have mutual recognition of the common procedures for testing. It would be absurd to make each Member State test separately. Secondly, I hope that countries outside the EU will follow our lead in cutting limits on nicotine, tar and carbon monoxide. It seems absurd that we insist on exporting jobs from the EU to applicant countries and others to produce cigarettes that will be legal to import for personal consumption within the European Union.
Thirdly, I accept that the latest research indicates that smokers compensate for lower tar levels by smoking light cigarettes differently. Nevertheless, banning such terms as "mild", "light" and "low" threatens to make illegal long-established extra-European brands like "Mild Seven" with all the consequences for the WTO rules and it will merely increase sales of thesauruses to the tobacco industry.
If I were to be mischievous, I would recommend "Organic Green" or "One" as appropriate substitutes. Despite these reservations, I hope the general thrust of the report will receive strong support from Parliament."@en1
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