Tobacco Europe is surprised by the claims made by Minister Vandenbroucke on Monday 29 January during the exchange with the ENVI Committee, holding the industry responsible for the delay of the proposal’s publication.
Tobacco Europe, as legitimate and transparent stakeholder, effectively took part in the European Commission’s consultation process, namely the Call for Evidence in July 2022, the Targeted Consultation in March 2023 and finally the Targeted Stakeholders’ Workshop in April 2023.On the latter, Tobacco Europe never received minutes from the consultant and therefore is not aware of the feedback transmitted to the Commission. As Tobacco Europe, we have always acted in a transparent manner; hence, we cannot agree with Minister Vandenbroucke’s remarks, nor we are aware of any official statement concerning possible delays from the Commission.
We reiterate our interest and commitment to engaging transparently and publicly in decision-making processes affecting our members’ businesses.
