Tobacco Documents Online

4th September 1981 IP Schl/mp ITEM 6.4 REPORT ON EC TASK FORCE (1) The EC Task Force has held no meeting since February. The main three topics of that meeting have developed in a way which made further action unnecessary for the time being: The Second Programme on Consumer Protect.ion and Information Policy was adopted by the Council in May. The passage on tobacc.o and alcohol is much less strinqent than had to be feared. In its first part, it practically delimits the Commission's activities to questions relevant to the functioning of the Common Market. Ad- mittedly, the second part is phrased so vaguely that it may help the Commission to overcome this. The topic of the Health Tax which had already been dealt a hard blow by the Commission's own report has vanished from the scene for the mo- ment since the UK has abolished its tar sur- charge. The Commission's research projects seem to have been put largely on ice for lack of funds and personnel. One piece of research which is still expected is the study on motivation which will probably contain recommendations for the reduc- tion of tobacco use by youngsters. (2) Broadly speaking, one can say that at this moment the European smoking and health policy is kept on low profile. Two reasons were already mentioned: lack of funds and lack of personnel. A further reason may be seen in the changes in the Commission's organisational set-up. In Directorate General V, Dr. Bennett has recently taken over the functions formerly held by Dr. Recht. It is not yet previsible ~ how much emphasis he will place on the smoking and ~ health issue and the same uncertainty prevails ~ Lr1 with reqard to the new Commissioner, Mr. Richard. ~ 4: ~ ~ ~ ~i

2 As regards the Environment and Consumer Protection Service, recently upgraded to a Directorate General, the replacement of Mr. Carpentier by the new Greek Director General, Mr. Andreopoulos, as well as the fact that the competent Commissioner is Mr. Narjes, whom we know from previous occasions, may be of some ad- vantaqe. Another reason for the apparently calm situation is probably the Commission's hesitance to press for pro- gress for its health political programme. There seem to be fears that instead of opening new areas of com- petence, too much insistence on health policy could rather lead to the member states' defining the compe- tences of the Community more strictly in the sense of the Treaty of Rome. (3) It would, however, be an error to believe that the Community might drop the smoking and health issue. The Commission will continue gathering more knowledge in this area and preparing itself for possible action. A first opportunity to table the issue again may be the Health Ministers' Council which some expect to be convoked in the beginning of 1982. There will also come ever new and sometimes dangerous advances from the European Parliament - think only of the Del Duca re- port which is now under way. Even the Economic and Social Committee has recently demanded measures against tobacco consumption and advertising in an opinion on the situation of the handicapped. Here, once again, tobacco products were treated alongside with drugs. (4) It will have to be an objective to be taken up by the Task Force in the nearer future to check what needs to be done with regard to the above-mentioned initiatives of the European Parliament and the ECOSOC and what con- tacts we should establish at what point of time with the new people in the Commission, depending on the scope of the activities they will be seen to display. The planned actions mentioned in my last report are now mainly under way. In particular, a symposium on 'Limits of EC-Competence' will be held in the middle of October. Participants will be legal experts, European officials and politicians. D. von Specht

EC TASK FORCE BUDGET Project 1981 ~ lst half 2nd half : Actual Budget , - Pilot study on militant non-smokers in EC - 20.000 Legal symposium on "Limits of EC Competence" - 40.000 English version Roper study on "Smoking Motivations of Youngsters" (earlier project) - 18.000 Total 1981 78.000 1982 - Three studies on "Smoking and Drugs in EC" 120.000 Total 1982 120.000