OUT OF SIGHT, OUT OF MIND: TOWARDS A NEW EU TOBACCO PRODUCTS DIRECTIVE


18 Colum. J. Eur. L. 197 (2012)

Alberto Alemanno, Jean Monnet Professor of EU Law & Risk Regulation, HEC Paris.

This article analyzes the legal and policy dimensions of the EU’s most far-reaching and already controversial measures presently envisaged by  the reform of the EU  Tobacco Products Directive standardized packaging and visual display bans of tobacco products. In line with the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, the former prohibits logos, colors, brand images, and promotional elements on packaging other than brand names displayed in a mandated size, font, and place, whereas the latter forbids the display of tobacco products at points of sale. Although the analysis predominantly focuses on the adoption of EU-wide schemes mandating these measures within the framework of the revision of the Tobacco Products Directive, it also discusses the legal implications stemming from the adoption of similar mechanisms at the national level.