Tobacco companies would be "dishonest, indeed dangerously misleading" to deny the overwhelming evidence of the health damage caused by smoking, the EU Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection said yesterday.
Mr David Byrne told the Dail Committee on European Affairs he did not wish to wage a public relations war with the tobacco industry.
However, he said it had a clear choice: to work with public health authorities and face up to its responsibilities to market its product responsibly or to continue its policies of denial.
"I believe it [the industry] will pay a very high price if it continues its past approach of fighting tooth-and-nail each and every sensible legislative measure aimed at combating tobacco consumption," he said.
The Commissioner said he was working towards a situation where tobacco advertising and sponsorship were virtually banned, where the dangers of the product were transparent and widely known, and the contents of tobacco strictly regulated.
The new directive on the manufacture, presentation and sale of tobacco products would have far-reaching effects, he said.
Strict limits on tar yield from cigarettes, carbon monoxide and particularly nicotine, which is responsible for the addictive element of tobacco, were being introduced to ensure a high level of public health protection.
He noted the description of some tobacco products could give rise to misapprehension on the part of consumers who may believe some are less dangerous than others.
The use of terms such as "low tar", "light", "ultra light" and "mild" should be prohibited unless expressly authorised by member-states, Mr Byrne said.
Speaking after he addressed the committee, the Commissioner said he favoured the phasing out within a short period of the annual £800 million EU tobacco farmers' subsidy, which he considered to be an "extraordinary anomaly" from the public health perspective when one person died every minute in Europe as a consequence of smoking.
Earlier, Mr Tony Gregory TD (Ind) said if this subsidy was not removed, the EU was merely paying lip-service to the problem.
He welcomed Mr Byrne's emphasis on addressing smoking among young people, particularly Irish schoolgirls, who are at the top of the European young smokers' league table.
