欧盟未来的烟盒将是什么样子？

正反两面上部占全部面积的65%要有图形警示

欧洲议会批准了欧盟修订后的新烟草产品法案，于2014年5月生效。这项法律加强了烟草产品在欧盟的生产、制作和流通环节的规则，也包括烟草的相关制品。新法案的目的是减弱烟草制品和烟草消费在欧盟的吸引力，尤其是对年轻人。

未来的烟盒将是什么样子？如上图所示，未来的包装将有强制性图片和文字的健康警语覆盖65％烟盒的正面和背面。烟包两侧的50％也将被健康警语覆盖（如“吸烟可导致死亡，现在戒烟”，“烟草烟雾中含有至少70种致癌物质”）。没有宣传或误导性的特征或元素才被允许放在包装上。例如，引用健康生活方式的好处。

更多相关内容见英文原文。

Questions & Answers: New rules for tobacco products

Today the European Parliament approved a revised EU Tobacco Products Directive. This new law strengthens the rules on how tobacco products are manufactured, produced and presented in the EU, and introduces rules for certain tobacco-related products. This Memo seeks to answer questions on what exactly will change once the revised Directive enters into force.

Why did the Commission decide to revise the rules?

The new Directive aims to improve the functioning of the EU's internal market for tobacco products, whilst assuring a high level of public health. The Council and the European Parliament repeatedly called for a revision of the 2001 Directive, due to considerable developments in three main areas.

Firstly, new scientific evidence has emerged, for example on tobacco flavourings and on the effectiveness of health warnings.

Secondly, new products, such as electronic cigarettes and strongly flavoured tobacco products have emerged on the market.

Thirdly, there have been developments at international level over the past decade, to which EU Member States have responded with different regulatory approaches. The EU and all Member States are parties to the legally binding WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), which entered into force in February 2005.

One of the most compelling reasons to strengthen the rules on tobacco products is the negative impact of tobacco consumption on people's health. Tobacco use is responsible for an estimated 700 000 avoidable deaths in the EU every year. The vast majority of smokers start when they are very young – 70% before their 18th birthday and 94% before the age of 25. The new Directive aims to make tobacco products and tobacco consumption less attractive in the EU, in particular for young people.

What will future cigarette packs look like?

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As the picture shows, future packs will feature mandatory picture and text health warnings covering 65% of the front and the back of cigarette packs - to be placed on the top edge. 50% of the sides of packs will also be covered with health warnings (e.g. "smoking kills – quit now"; "tobacco smoke contains over 70 substances known to cause cancer"), replacing the current printing of tar, nicotine and carbon monoxide (TNCO) levels.

Minimum dimensions for the health warnings will ensure visibility and slim; 'lipstick'-style cigarette packs, which are often targeted to young women, will no longer be allowed.

In order to ensure the visibility of health warnings, cigarette packs will be required to have a cuboid shape and each pack will contain a minimum of 20 cigarettes.

No promotional or misleading features or elements will be allowed on packs. This includes, for example, references to lifestyle benefits, to taste or flavourings or their absence (e.g. "free of additives"), special offers or suggestions that a particular product is less harmful than another.

Similar rules will apply to roll-your-own tobacco (RYO) packs, which will also have to carry 65% combined health warnings on the front and back as well as the additional text warnings. RYO products can have a cuboid or cylindric shape, or be in the form of a pouch, and each pack will contain a minimum of 30g of tobacco.

How about the labelling of less common tobacco products?

Whereas the EU Directive covers all tobacco products, Member States have some discretion when it comes to labelling rules for products not currently used in significant quantities such as pipe tobacco, cigars, cigarillos and smokeless products.

While Member States may choose to exempt these products from stringent labelling rules e.g. combined picture and text health warnings, they will be obliged to ensure that these products carry a general warning and an additional text warning. Smokeless tobacco products will have to display health warnings on the two largest surfaces of the pack. As in the former Directive, specific rules apply for the placement and size of all warnings.

Can Member States introduce plain packaging?

While the new rules mean that health warnings will cover a substantial part of the total surface of cigarette packages, a certain space will remain available for branding. The new Directive specifically allows Member States to introduce further measures relating to standardisation of packaging – or plain packaging – where they are justified on grounds of public health, are proportionate and do not lead to hidden barriers to trade between Member States.

Will flavourings be banned? How about additives, etc.?

Flavourings in cigarettes and RYO tobacco must not be used in quantities that give the product a distinguishable (‘characterising’) flavour other than tobacco. The Directive prohibits cigarettes and RYO tobacco with any such characterising flavour. Member States and the Commission may consult an independent European advisory panel before taking decisions in this regard. Menthol is considered a characterising flavour and will be banned after a phase-out period of four years – a period which applies to all products with more than a 3% market share in the EU.

Other tobacco products, such as cigars, cigarillos and smokeless products are exempted from the ban on characterising flavours. This exemption will be removed if there is a substantial change in circumstances (in terms of sales volumes or prevalence levels among young people). Tobacco for oral use (Snus) is exempted from this ban, as well as from certain other provisions regulating ingredients.

Additives necessary for the manufacture of tobacco products, including sugar lost during the curing process, can continue to be used. The Directive does not discriminate between tobacco varieties such as Virginia, Burley or Oriental tobacco.

What information will makers of tobacco products have to provide?

Mandatory reporting on ingredients is foreseen for all tobacco products through a standardised electronic format. Enhanced reporting obligations will be in place for certain frequently used substances found in cigarettes and RYO tobacco (priority list). This will enable regulators to gain more information on the ingredients contained in tobacco products and their effects on health and addiction.

As in the previous Directive, there will be mandatory reporting of emissions of tar, nicotine and carbon monoxide for cigarettes, as well as other emissions where such information is available. Member States may also require manufacturers to carry out further studies on the effect of additives on health.

What are the expected health and economic benefits of the new rules?

Strict rules on packages and attractive flavours should help to deter young people from experimenting with, and becoming addicted to, tobacco. The revision is expected to lead to a 2% drop in consumption of tobacco over a period of 5 years. This is roughly equivalent to 2.4 million fewer smokers in the EU.

Governments and society as a whole will benefit from improved public health, namely longer healthy lives. Health is a value in its own right, and a healthy population is a key factor for economic growth. The reduction in tobacco consumption resulting from the new measures is calculated to translate into annual healthcare saving to the amount of €506 million.

Clearer and more accurate information on tobacco products will enable people to take informed decisions. Moreover, manufacturers of tobacco products will benefit from clearer rules, an improved functioning of the internal market and a level playing field. The new rules also take account of the specific needs of small and medium-sized companies.

When will the new rules apply?

The new Directive should enter into force in May 2014. A transposition period of two years for Member States to bring national legislation into line with the revised Directive means that most of the new rules will apply in the first half of 2016. However, the Directive also foresees a transitional period for all product categories to give manufacturers and retailers time to sell off their existing stock insofar as it complies with the old Directive or other relevant legislation. As mentioned above, a phase-out period of four years is foreseen for all products with more than a 3% market share in the EU, for example menthol cigarettes.