Stealthy tobacco lobbying: Watchdogs denounce gaps in EU transparency rules

Stealthy tobacco lobbying: Watchdogs denounce gaps in EU transparency rules

By : Marta Iraola Iribarren Weak EU transparency rules have enabled tobacco companies to quietly shape policymaking in Brussels, a new investigation warns. The European Commission has failed to uphold transparency standards in its dealings with the tobacco industry amid an intense lobbying effort, a new investigation has shown. European institutions have held undisclosed meetings with tobacco industry representatives – in apparent violation of their own transparency rules, according to the report by the global tobacco industry watchdog Stopping Tobacco Organizations and Products (STOP) and the French anti-tobacco group Contre-Feu published on Wednesday. According to the investigation, the tobacco industry has been quietly active in Brussels, seeking to influence a wide range of EU policies – from health legislation to trade agreements. While such lobbying is meant to be tightly monitored, the evidence suggests enforcement is often lax. Correspondence seen by Contre-Feu between the European C…