Tobacco lobby steps up Brussels push as EU rewrites rules

European lawmakers have engaged in over 400 meetings with tobacco and nicotine lobbyists since the current Parliament took office in 2024, quadrupling the number of such meetings compared to the previous term, according to data analyzed by POLITICO. Most of these meetings were with right-leaning MEPs, with 75% occurring with members of the European People’s Party, the European Conservatives and Reformists, and the Patriots for Europe groups.

The increase in meetings comes as the EU seeks to rewrite several key pieces of tobacco and nicotine legislation, including measures to curb heart disease and cancer. Some MEPs have criticized the tobacco industry's access to lawmakers as they negotiate these measures, calling it incompatible with their work on health files. Tilly Metz, a lawmaker with the Greens/European Free Alliance, stated that it is "completely incompatible to regularly meet with the tobacco industry" when working on health files.

The tobacco industry and some MEPs deny any wrongdoing, stating that they have the right to present their perspective based on science and facts. British American Tobacco’s head of fiscal affairs, Simon Trussler, emphasized that the company sees "what’s going on on the ground" and has legitimate interests to discuss in the regulation of its products. Philip Morris International, the maker of Marlboro, highlighted its contribution to the European economy and its efforts to transition towards a smoke-free future.

However, critics argue that the industry's lobbying goes beyond what is necessary for regulation and contravenes the World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. This treaty requires policymakers to limit interactions with the tobacco sector to what is strictly necessary for regulation and ensure transparency of those meetings. The WHO has also stated that nicotine addiction prevention is an explicit objective of the convention.

European lawmakers remain concerned about the extent of the tobacco lobby's influence and whether it complies with the treaty's guidelines. The lobbying activity spikes around key policy initiatives, such as the tax directive, indicating that the industry is actively shaping the legislative debate.