The role of tobacco industry front groups in Bulgaria

A report by the Coalition for a Smoke-Free Life exposes, through several case studies, how the tobacco industry uses third-party groups to get its messages across to the public, medical prescribers and policy makers in Bulgaria.

Think tanks opposing tobacco tax increases citing the threat of cigarette trafficking, a patient association relaying risk reduction messages about heated tobacco, a medical event organizer displaying the Philip Morris logo… These practices by the tobacco industry of using intermediary groups to get its messages across are not fundamentally new, but their identification allows us to update the influence strategies used. A report on this topic published by the Coalition for a Smoke-Free Life, with the support of the STOP organization, takes stock of the situation in Bulgaria[1].

A dozen industry intermediaries identified

No longer credible enough to defend its products and points of view itself, the tobacco industry is turning to established and recognized organizations to get its messages across in the media and public debate, with a view to influencing public opinion and policy makers. The report details five case studies involving a dozen civil society actors, which support this observation of organizations acting as intermediaries for the tobacco industry. Namely, two law firms (Boyanov & Co., Stoychev, Boukov & Partners), three major think tanks (Institute for Market Economics (IME), Centre for Study of Democracy (CSD), Center for Liberal Strategies (CLS)), three media outlets (24 Chasa, Trud, Capital), a prestigious business school (University of National and World Economy (UNWE)) and a charity (BCause) are implicated.

The IME – also a member of Atlas Network, a group of think tanks linked to the tobacco industry – has for example received funding from PMI IMPACT, a branch of Philip Morris International (PMI) dedicated to developing projects on illicit trade. While declaring itself independent of PMI, the IME produced, in 2018 and 2019, no fewer than eight studies on the illicit tobacco trade, attributing its increase to that of excise duties. This institute has also vigorously fought for a zero-rate tax to be applied to heated tobacco devices, in the name of their potential in terms of harm reduction.

Two organizations linked to the medical world are also singled out by the Coalition's report. One of them is the National Association of Patients (NPO), which has been heavily involved in the defense of heated tobacco and the setting of a zero-rate tax, and has testified to this effect to the Budget and Finance Committee, always in the name of risk reduction and without taking into account the reservations of the World Health Organization (WHO) on this subject. The other is Arbilis, a publisher of medical journals (cardiology, pulmonology, endocrinology) and also an organizer of medical events; the presence of the PMI logo on the various media of its medical events and the publication of PMI articles and advertisements have thus contributed to the relay by doctors of a discourse favorable to heated tobacco.

Identify front groups and counter their influence

The authors of the Smoke-Free Coalition report acknowledge that some of these intermediaries may have been naively duped by the tobacco industry, but stress that the use of these groups is in contradiction with Article 5.3 of the FCTC, which requires that governments be free from industry influence. According to their analysis, five basic criteria can help identify whether a Bulgarian structure is linked to the tobacco industry:

• Participated in the debate on excise taxes on smoked tobacco in 2018. Debated on the increase in excise taxes as a cause of increased smuggling.
• Defend heated tobacco products.
• Having proposed, in 2021, the establishment of a National Council for the Coordination and Implementation of the FCTC, in fact intended to call into question the foundations of the WHO and the FCTC.
• To restore the image of the tobacco industry, in particular by accepting its project funding under the guise of corporate social responsibility (CSR).

These authors recommend several proposals to counter the influence of the tobacco industry via these intermediaries. The effective implementation of the FCTC and its article 5.3 are considered essential prerequisites, as is the necessary coordination of State services. Advertising and promotion of tobacco products, but also the sponsorship of any CSR activity or content in the media, should be prohibited. Stricter enforcement of smoking bans should be observed. Excise duties on tobacco products, but also shisha, electronic cigarettes and heated tobacco should be increased. Finally, prevention and health education should discourage any use of tobacco.

In 2019, Bulgaria was one of the countries in the European Union with the highest tobacco consumption and the shortest life expectancy.[2]. Despite the ratification of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) in 2005 and the population's strong expectations in this area[3], measures to combat smoking remain timid in this country, due to lobbying actions.

Keywords: Bulgaria, front groups, think tanks, influence

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