What is This Nonsense about the European Union (EU) Providing Tobacco Subsidies?
• Paradoxically, the amount the EU spends on anti-smoking campaigns is dwarfed by the one billion euros ($1.13 billion) it spends subsidizing tobacco farmers in poor southern Europe. • The EU Commission has pledged to phase out tobacco subsidies, but in the meantime, there will be difficulty in persuading Europeans to stub out the habit that often goes hand in hand with a glass of wine or a dash of espresso. The Ten New Eastern Entries into the European Union (EU) Are Expected to Oppose Restrictions of Tobacco Rules • Opposition may be even stronger in the 10 mostly eastern European countries set to join the EU next year, where cigarette consumption is significantly above EU averages. • Romania, which hopes to join the EU in 2007, has one of Europe’s highest smoking rates, with around 70 percent of the male population and 40 percent of women hooked. • “Let’s pray they wouldn’t ban smoking on the streets,” said 33-year old Marcel Tomas. • Even in Ireland, where a home-grown ban is due t
