Activites

• 2003/06/20 Final act published in Official Journal
  • Directive 2003/33
  • OJ L 152 20.06.2003, p. 0016-0019
• 2003/05/26 Final act signed
• 2003/05/26 End of procedure in Parliament
• #2499
• 2003/03/27 Council Meeting
• 2003/03/27 Act adopted by Council after Parliament's 1st reading
• #2470
• 2002/12/02 Council Meeting
• 2002/11/28 Modified legislative proposal published
  • COM(2002)0699 summary

    The amendments accepted by the Commission concern : - the deletion of the reference to the call for new proposals to address possible further obstacles to the smooth operation of the Internal market. The Commission agrees that its right of initiative remains as provided for in the Treaty even if specific reference to the right to present new proposals is not indicated; - improving the clarity of the text by introducing a new recital which clearly identifies the matters within the scope of the Directive, and recalls that Member States retain the competence to regulate certain issues not covered by the Directive as they deemed necessary to guarantee the health protection of individuals.�

  • DG [{'url': 'http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/health_consumer/index_en.htm', 'title': 'Health and Consumers'}],
• 2002/11/20 Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
  • T5-0550/2002 summary

    The European Parliament adopted by 309 votes to 203, with 39 abstentions a resolution on tobacco advertising. Its rapporteur was Manuel MEDINA ORTEGA (PES, Spain). Parliament rejected many of the amendments passed by the Legal Affairs Committee. The main amendment adopted by Parliament states, as a recital, that the Directive regulates the advertising of tobacco products in the media other than the television, i.e., in the press and other printed publications, in radio broadcasting and in information society services. The Directive also regulates the sponsorship, by tobacco companies, of radio programmes, and of events taking place in several Member States or otherwise having cross-border effects, including the free or discounted distribution of tobacco products. Other forms of advertising, such as indirect advertising, as well as the sponsorship of events or activities without cross-border effects, fall outside the scope of the Directive. Subject to the Treaty, Member States retain the competence to regulate these matters as they deem necessary to guarantee the protection of human health.�

• 2002/11/18 Debate in Parliament
  • Debate in Parliament
• 2002/10/08 Vote in committee, 1st reading/single reading
  • A5-0344/2002
• #2440
• 2002/06/26 Council Meeting
  • 2440
• #2419
• 2002/03/18 Council Meeting
  • 2419 summary

    After lengthy discussions, the Council reached political agreement by qualified majority, with the Danish and Swedish delegations voting against and the United Kingdom delegation abstaining, on a proposal for a Regulation concerning the tobacco sector (14521/01) as amended on the basis of a Presidency compromise suggestion adopted by the Commission. This compromise was accompanied by a Commission statement for the minutes, which the German, Netherlands and United Kingdom delegations supported. The Regulation sets premiums and guarantee thresholds for tobacco for the 2002, 2003 and 2004 harvests by variety group and Member State. The main points of the Presidency compromise suggestion are as follows: - Inclusion of a reference in Recital (5) to Article 152 of the Treaty - requirement for a high level of public health protection - and of a reference in Recital (6) to the Community Tobacco Fund's activities and financing; - Community Tobacco Fund: the deduction to finance the Fund is set at 2% of the premium for the 2002 harvest, and 3% for the 2003 harvest; the deduction may be increased to 5% for the 2004 harvest on the basis of a Commission report to be presented by 31 December 2003 on the use of the Fund's appropriations, accompanied if necessary by a proposal to that effect; - auction system: the scheme may apply to the contracts of producer groups that wish to take part in it; - national quota reserve: producer Member States will be able to create a national quota reserve. The Regulation will be formally adopted without debate at a forthcoming Council.�

• #2384
• 2001/11/15 Council Meeting
  • 2384 summary

    The Council held a policy debate on the proposal for a Directive. This new proposal is intended to replace an earlier Directive (98/43/EC) on the same subject which was annulled by the European Court of Justice on 5 October 2000 on the grounds that some provisions were not in conformity with the legal basis on which it had been adopted. The Council's discussion focused on the scope of the proposal, taking account of the judgment by the Court of Justice. The Council asked the Permanent Representatives Committee to continue examining the proposal pending the European Parliament's first-reading Opinion.�

• 2001/07/05 Committee referral announced in Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
• 2001/05/30 Legislative proposal published
  • COM(2001)0283 summary

    PURPOSE : to address economic operations regarding tobacco advertising in certain media and tobacco related sponsorship. CONTENT : There are differences between Member States laws on tobacco advertising and sponsorship. Such advertising in certain cases crosses Member States' borders. Differences in national legislation are likely to give rise to increasing barriers to free movement of products. - To eliminate these barriers and promote public health, the rules on tobacco advertising need to be approximated. Tobacco advertising is to be limited to those magazines and periodicals which are not intended for the general public such as trade journals and to publications published and printed in third countries, which are not principally intended for the Community market. - Sponsorship is prohibited only for those activities or events with crossborder effects, without regulating sponsorship on a purely national level, which otherwise may be a means of circumventing the restrictions placed on direct forms of advertising. - Tobacco advertising by means of information society services and radio broadcasting should be regulated at the Community level and is prohibited. - Free distribution of tobacco in the context of sponsorship of events is prohibited. - There are provisions for laying down penalties applicable to infringements of these rules. Persons or organisations which, according to national legislation can justify a legitimate interest in the suppression of advertising may take legal action. - The Directive must be transposed by 31 July 2005. �

  • DG [{'url': 'http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/health_consumer/index_en.htm', 'title': 'Health and Consumers'}],

Documents

• Legislative proposal published: COM(2001)0283
• Debate in Council: 2384
• Debate in Council: 2419
• Debate in Council: 2440
• Committee report tabled for plenary, 1st reading/single reading: A5-0344/2002
• Debate in Parliament: Debate in Parliament
• Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading: T5-0550/2002
• Modified legislative proposal published: COM(2002)0699
• : Directive 2003/33
• : OJ L 152 20.06.2003, p. 0016-0019

History

(these mark the time of scraping, not the official date of the change)