Before a decisive vote in plenary, two MEPs from the public health committee give their views on the new tobacco products reform that was adopted on 10th July.

Interview: Tobacco reform - Challenges and regrets

https://api.multimedia.europarl.europa.eu/documents/20125/16363726/n003-0258-en.srt

Another turn of the screw  for tobacco manufacturers.

MEPs on the Health Committee want to  make cigarette packets even less attractive.

Strawberry or coffee  flavourings could be banned.

Before a crucial vote in plenary after  the summer, the views of two MEPs:

Linda McAvan, the rapporteur  from the Socialists and Democrats,

Can the reform really encourage smokers  to change their behaviour?

is actually to stop new smokers  from being recruited.

Nearly every measure we've agreed  is about stopping the tobacco industry

launching products aimed at recruiting  young people and children.

Things like lipstick packages,  chocolate-flavoured cigarettes,

strawberry cigarettes, menthol cigarettes,  that make it easier to smoke.

It's going in the right direction,  but now we need to go further.

For example, cigarette prices  should be harmonised.

It's unbelievable  that when you go outside Europe

you have cigarettes  that cost as little as a metro ticket.

Why do Europeans still smoke more  than in Australia or the US?

The Canadians and the Americans  have brought in controls on flavourings

and they're looking at  regulating more on flavourings.

There is a treaty, the Framework  Convention on Tobacco Control,

where all governments -  160-odd governments across the world -

have said  they want to get rid of smoking.

They've signed up to it  and pledged to take measures

and this EU law will actually implement  that international treaty.

by reducing the attractiveness  of tobacco packaging,

by giving better information  on the health aspect.

We must tell young people  that 70,000 people die per year.

That's more than 200 deaths per day.  That's tobacco.

Why didn't you opt for total neutralisation  of advertising on cigarette packets

as is the case in Australia, for example?

I think it was a step too far today  for all 27 EU Member States.

What is very important  is that the law we've voted today

would allow countries  to go further if they want.

The Irish say they want plain packaging.  The UK government is looking at it.

So today we'll have big warnings.  We've made a big step forward,

but plain packaging may be something  we might come back to.

Because we lost. We in the Greens  Group asked for plain packaging,

so packets with health information only,  the negative effects of tobacco.

But it wasn't accepted  by the Health Committee.

But we should do the same  as in Australia with plain packaging

in order to break down  this incitement to smoke,

this image that the fact of smoking  is socially positive.

but they receive a lot of money from it  in taxes. Isn't that hypocritical?

The human misery caused by cigarettes  is tremendous.

I think if, 150 years ago,  we'd had laws, the European Parliament,

we wouldn't have allowed cigarettes,  but they're there.

Our job now is to try to reduce  the numbers of smokers

and to get people to quit  and particularly not to start.

There is hypocrisy  on the price of tobacco

because it brings in revenue to the state.

But the fact that it causes cancer  costs the state a huge amount.

At the same time,  people must be more autonomous

and not dependent,  not addicted to tobacco.

So you need to use pricing, you need  to use education and information,

and dissociate the price of tobacco  from the finances.

Will electronic cigarettes still be allowed?

In Parliament today we voted to put much  more controls on water-pipe tobaccos

because it's not a product  used by older people.

Young people use it.  I spoke to some assistants here

and they all said they'd been in bars and  tried it. They didn't know it was tobacco.

is that as long as there is nicotine  it must be considered as a medicine.

Why should patches for people  who want to stop smoking

have a marketing authorisation when  electronic cigarettes with nicotine don't?

research must be done, and there  must be marketing authorisations.