Geneva, May 4, 2016 – Just two weeks before the Tobacco Products Directive (TPD2) comes into force in the 28 EU Member States, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) has rejected tobacco manufacturers’ claims against TPD2.
“It is regrettable that the Court has decided to endorse the proliferation of different regulations for the same product across the European Union”, said Vassilis Vovos, JTI’s Western Europe Regional President. “This ruling goes against a fundamental purpose of the EU treaty which is to further improve the functioning of the internal market by way of harmonized legislation. Instead, we are left with an inexplicable decision which may lead Member States to believe that they can infringe the principle of free movement of goods within the EU.”
“There are only 16 days left before TPD2 comes into force. Yet the legislation is still not transposed in the majority of Member States. This leaves the industry with little clarity from the Commission and Member States on many issues. The CJEU rulings bring additional confusion”, concludes Mr. Vovos.