The battle for plain packaging (PP)in France

october 5th 2016

Yves Martinety.martinet@chru-nancy.fr

No conflict of interest

Réalisation bibliographique et graphique : Mme Anna SPINOSA

PP : a simple goal

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?

Forces at work

For

• NGOs

– Comité National Contre le Tabagisme (CNCT)

– French Alliance (ACT)

– Coalition « Appel des 40 »

• Executive

– Elysée

– Ministry of health

Against

• Tobacco industry

– Big 4

– SEITA (Imperial tobacco false nose)

• Tobacconists

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CNCT (1)

• A specific goal

– 1995 : CNCT white book on TC : "paquet générique"

– 1998 : CNCT + ASH + FARES report to European Commission

• Specific expertise

– 1995 – 2016 : over 50 convictions / packaging

– Jurisprudence

• A basic work

– 2006 – 2007 : expert report to Ministry of Health

– 2008 : Durban COP 3 contribution FCTC art 11 guidelines

– 2008 – 2015 : research studies for INCa

• Impact of PP on young people, smokers, …

• Legal feasibility

• Publications

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CNCT (2)

• Constant advocacy actions

– Jun 28th 2010 : meeting, National Assembly

– August 2010 : law proposal

– 2011 – 2012 : Yves Bur report to Ministry of Heath on TC

– 2010 – 2013 : contribution to SFP / new TPD

– 2012 : contribution to Court of Auditions report on TC

– 2012 – 2013 : contribution to National Assembly report on TC

– 2012 – 2013 : research for Ministry of Heath

– June 20th 2014 : meeting with Marisol Touraine

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CNCT (3)

• A proactive communication

– 2010 – 2016 : website

: social media networks

– July 2011 : specific leaflet

– May 29th 2013 : Chez Françoise, BAT / Club des Parlementaires Amateurs de Havanes / Cash Investigation France 2

– March 2015 : media campaign “strip-tease”

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CNCT (4)

• A central contribution to Alliance Contre le Tabac

– 2011 : ACT white book

– 2013 – 2014 : Plan cancer 3 PNRT : Programme National de Réduction du Tabagisme Leaflet Notification to EU Commission

– 2014 – 2015 : advocacy / National Assembly, Sénat

– July 20th 2015 : Ministry of Health international meeting

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CNCT (5)

• A major scale up

– September – November 2015 : "L’appel des 40"

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Big Tobacco (1)

• Main arguments– Freedom, nanny state, right-thinking, .. new inquisition, “new hygienism”

– Inefficient /smoking, Australian experience

– Employment

– Smuggling, counterfeiting, terrorism, Jihad

– Fiscal loss

– Trademark laws, industrial and intellectual rights

– Threat of expensive lawsuits

– Price war youth smoking increase

– Competition distortion

– Non popular

– Domino effect

" Si nous acceptons le paquet de cigarettes neutre, dans six mois on

vous proposera la bouteille de vin neutre et c'en sera fini de nosappellations, et c'en sera fini de nos terroirs, et c'en sera fini de la

défense de notre savoir-faire ! "

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" entrainer la jeunesse vers les épopées violentes au Proche-Orient et Moyen-Orient" Nicolas Dhuicq (MP)

Big Tobacco (2)

• Main goals

– Just EU TPD

– Wait for all EU countries to be ready for PP

– Germany as model

– Support education

• Main fears

– Sales decrease

– Loss of kickbacks

– Difficulties / retail sale

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Big Tobacco (3)

• Actions

– KPMG, evaluation of smuggling, ..

– Lobbying firms

– Opinion polls, FTI Consulting, Odoxa, …

– Press conferences

– Fake consumer associations

– Website, twitter …

– Media

– Demonstrations, shut down

– Public relations campaign "oui à la prévention, non à la punition"

– Neutralization of automatic radars

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Big Tobacco (4)

• Main supports– Think tanks, Institut Molinari, Génération Libre, …

– Employer organizations, CGPME (Gérard Bohélay), Unifab, AACC, …

– Big alcohol

– Constitutional experts

– Politicians

• Leaflet "prévention du tabagisme "

• Leaflets "SEITA savoir "

• Massive lobbying

• Parliamentary mission, Lazaro – Binetruy - Dumont

• Identical written questions, amendments, …

• Law proposal, Thierry Lazaro (MP), eggs in generic boxes

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A political battle (1)

• May 2nd 2012, François Hollande– "Je suis aussi intéressé par la démarche qu’initie cette année

l’Australie autour du « paquet neutre ». C’est le premier pays às’engager dans cette voie ; Je suivrai avec attention les résultatsde cette démarche. Si les résultats de cette expérience s’avèrentconcluants, nous devrons étudier la faisabilité en France."

• February 4th 2014, Plan Cancer 3– "Nous exploiterons aussi les possibilités que nous offrent la

récente directive sur le tabac pour renforcer les informations surle paquet"

• Summer 2014, Marisol Touraine - François Hollande– "On ne peut faire les deux, ce ne sera pas fromage et dessert"

– Marisol Touraine decides for PP vs taxes

• Autumn 2014, National Assembly commission to appeaseFrench tobacconists– Frédéric Barbier : Stockholm syndrome, undermine socialist

majority

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A political battle (2)

• The parliamentary Ping-Pong

– April 3rd, 2015 NA commission 19 vs 11 for PP

plenary 311 / 241 for PP

– September 16th, 2015 Sénat 228 / 16 against PP

– November 26th, 2015 NA plenary 56 vs 54

– December 14th, 2015 Sénat rejects PP

– December 17th, 2015, NA adopts the bill

– January 21st, 2016 Constitutional council Law is constitutional

– January 26st, 2016 Law enacted

• May 2016, Council of State, Law challenged by SEITA and tobacconists

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Conclusion• We won a battle not the war

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TPD article 13Product presentation