Four times more tobacco lobby meetings while Brussels rewrites smoking rules

European Parliament members have conducted over 400 meetings with tobacco and nicotine industry representatives since the summer of 2024, according to analysis of the EU Transparency Register by the Smoke Free Partnership. This number is roughly four times greater than the total recorded during the previous parliamentary term. Most of these interactions have involved MEPs from the European People’s Party and the European Conservatives and Reformists.

Philip Morris International is responsible for a significant portion of these meetings, with British American Tobacco coming in second. Spanish MEPs have been particularly active, with many holding meetings with industry representatives. The European Commission is currently working on revising the Tobacco Products Directive, and the meetings have centered around topics such as product standards, advertising restrictions, and "harm reduction" approaches for heated tobacco and nicotine pouches.

Public-health campaigners argue that the high level of access to industry representatives goes against the World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which recommends limited interactions with the industry. Industry representatives and some MEPs argue that these meetings are transparent and legitimate, with one EPP member noting that a meeting does not equate to endorsing the industry's position.

Changes to EU rules will eventually affect Spain's smoking culture and could impact the price and availability of various tobacco products. Spain is seen as a strong opponent of the EU's restrictions on smoking, and the planned terrace and beach smoking bans have not yet been fully implemented. Higher taxes and tighter product rules have been associated with increased illicit tobacco use in Spain.

The declared meetings represent a minimum figure, as not every interaction is registered. The Smoke Free Partnership has published its full data and press release, but Spain's Ministry of Health and Spanish MEPs have yet to provide detailed responses to the latest numbers.