Today is the closing date for submissions to the Irish Government's "public" consultation on revisions to the EC's Tobacco Products Directive.
As I mentioned on Monday, the Department of Health in Dublin launched the consultation on December 20, five days before Christmas.
Forest Eireann has just issued a press release. Here's a flavour:
Campaigners want the Government to reject proposals to increase the size of health warnings on cigarette packets.
In a submission to the public consultation on revisions to the European Commission’s Tobacco Products Directive, the smokers’ group Forest Eireann also urged the Government to oppose a proposed ban on menthol-flavoured cigarettes and support the EU-wide legalisation of snus, a form of oral tobacco.
The group called on the Government to use its Presidency of the Council of the European Union [in the first half of 2013] to encourage member states to reject tobacco control policies that are “fundamentally illiberal and potentially counter-productive”.
In its submission Forest Eireann said it wanted politicians and bureaucrats to engage with all stakeholders, “including consumers, manufacturers and retailers”, to develop policies that are “sensible and proportionate” ...
Forest Eireann was also critical of the timing of the consultation, which was launched by the Department of Health on December 20, just five days before Christmas, closing on January 16.
“This was a public consultation but how many people knew about it?” asked Mallon. “Ireland is supposed to be a democracy yet a public consultation took place and the overwhelming majority of people were none the wiser. If people don’t engage in the process it’s because they have no idea it is happening.”
Full press release: Campaigners urge Government to reject revisions to Tobacco Products Directive.