Flynn pushed for total cigarette advertising ban
30 October 1996
The EU Commission is pushing for a total ban on the advertising of cigarettes, Commissioner Padraig Flynn has stated.
Each year half a million people die from the consumption of tobacco products and this is to be tackled during the Irish Presidency.
Television advertising of cigarettes has been banned for seven years and member States are being lobbied to have a total media ban on the products.
Commissioner Flynn said: "There is now a very clear understanding in every country that something extra has ti be done to reduce the level and the number of people smoking so as to reduce the level of people dying from cancer in the Union.
"There is a strong wish that we should have a total ban on advertising of tobacco and tobacco products and that this ban should apply to cover all media in an equal way.
"There is a ban on advertising on television since 1989. But it cannot reach its full potential until such time as it is accompanied by the banning of advertising in all forms of the media. This is now being pursued again by the Irish Presidency."
Commissioner Flynn said it was not possible to get all Member States to agree to the measure but there was now a greater awareness of the need to have stronger measures taken.
He said a resolution that would be discussed between now and the end of the year would seek to re-enforce national rules so that the sale of tobacco products to young people was limited to those over the age of 16-years.
Commissioner Flynn added: "It will also seek to restrict access of young people to tobacco
products by insuring that the sale of cigarettes from automatic vending machines is
confined to secure supervised areas."
Connaught Telegraph - News - October 1996
Connaught Telegraph - Sport - October 1996
