Researchers at the Tobacco Control Research Group have shown in a paper published in the British Medical Journal how the Tobacco Industry attempted to use the German government to undermine the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).
Germany has been identified as one of a few high-income countries that opposed a strong Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). A group of researchers has examined the role that the tobacco industry played in influencing the German Government’s position.
The WHO FCTC is the world’s first global public health treaty, and requires parties to adopt a comprehensive range of measures designed to reduce the devastating health and economic impacts of tobacco.
The researchers used tobacco industry documents to show how they had approached the German government and tried to create and then exploit controversy between the financial, trade and other ministries and the health ministry in order to weaken the FCTC. In turn they then also also managed to use Germany to limit the European Union negotiating mandate.
The research is a damning indictment of allowing the industry to have access to policy makers and shows the subversive role that they can play in weakening public health protection.
Grüning T, Weishaar H, Collin J, Gilmore A (2011) Tobacco industry
attempts to influence and use the German government to undermine the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. Tobacco Control:
doi:10.1136/tc.2010.042093.
In addition, the tobacco industry has been active at EU level to weaken the revision of the Tobacco Product Directive that is planned by the European Commission in 2012.
Article available at BMJ
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