Draft amendments to the Law on Tobacco Control were discussed at multilateral public consultations
The Parliamentary Committee for Social Protection, Health and Family held on November 12 extended consultations on the package of amendments to the anti-tobacco legislation, which envisages changing the rules of packaging and labeling of tobacco and smokeless products, clarifying the places where smoking is allowed, introducing fines for civil servants who promote the interests of the tobacco industry, etc. Members of Parliament, representatives of business associations and tobacco companies, non-governmental organizations, importers and manufacturers of tobacco and similar products, experts, medical specialists took part in the consultations. Svetlana Nicolaescu, Deputy Secretary-General of the Health Ministry, presented statistical data on tobacco consumption and mortality due to it. “In Moldova, about 6 thousand people die annually from tobacco consumption, but these deaths can be prevented. Three out of ten Moldovans smoke, and 16% of adolescents aged 13-14 years old consume tobacco products, some of them are e-cigarette users. At the same time, there is an alarming increase in the use of smokeless products and e-cigarettes among adolescents. The bill developed by the Ministry of Health proposes a number of measures aimed at reducing the number of consumers among young people,” she said, presenting the main provisions of the draft. The draft law is also aimed at harmonizing national legislation with the EU legislation in the context of tobacco control, as well as at ensuring the protection of citizens from the harmful effects of tobacco products. During the consultations, representatives of civil society, business and state expressed different opinions on some provisions of the draft law, as well as on the need to directly transpose European directives into Moldovan legislation. Thus, some participants in the consultations noted the need to comply with the European norms of tobacco market regulation, while others were in favor of stricter requirements, including options to introduce taxes on bad habits for citizens, encouraging them to stop consuming tobacco and similar products. Representatives of the tobacco industry noted the need to ensure predictability and transparent rules of the game in the market. It is worth noting that all stakeholders submitted their comments on the draft in almost 90 pages. The draft law should be approved by the Parliament. // 12.11.2024 – InfoMarket
