Tobacco manufacturers could be forced to reduce the amount of tar and additives in their products sold in the EU, as a result of new measures being prepared by the European Commissioner for public health, Mr David Byrne.
He confirmed to The Irish Times that his proposals would be presented to the Commission within weeks, amid continuing concern about the damaging effect of tobacco products on health.
"It is my intention to significantly lower the amount of tar and additives in these products," Mr Byrne said.
The proposals would be part of a fresh move to strengthen the EU regulatory regime regarding tobacco products. Mr Byrne will also seek Commission approval to force the tobacco industry to increase the health warnings which accompany their products.
In particular, he wants to force the industry to broaden the public health warnings on packaging to include specific advice about smoking and the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
The proposals follow the adoption last year of the EU-wide regulation on tobacco advertising on television and the directives concerning labelling, packaging and tar yields.
"My ultimate aim is to ensure that consumers are fully informed of the dangers of smoking and that they are not subjected to industry-led pressure, for example through advertising, to take up smoking," Mr Byrne said. "Then, and only then, can we consider smoking to be an issue of personal choice."
The commissioner told yesterday's Building Healthier Hearts conference in Dublin that cardiovascular disease was the greatest public health epidemic globally and the major cause of death and disability worldwide.
That was regrettable because there was great potential for treating the disease and reducing its incidence. There were two public health priorities: convincing non-smokers, especially children, not to start smoking, and showing smokers how their health and well-being would benefit quickly from stopping smoking.