France: Tobacco industry mobilizes lobbyists to curb health policies

A report by the Alliance Against Tobacco details the lobbying activities conducted in France by the tobacco industry. This report estimates the number of lobbyists mobilized by the tobacco industry at around thirty, and at least €1.15 million in sums spent on lobbying activities. However, opacity remains the rule in this sector.

While the government published its National Tobacco Control Program (PNLT) on November 28, 2023, the Alliance Against Tobacco (ACT) published a report on December 4, 2023 on the state of tobacco lobbying in France.[1].

Various very influential actors

Based on data from the High Authority for Transparency in Public Life (HATVP) and the work of the National Committee Against Smoking (CNCT), the report distinguishes four groups of lobbyists:

- Tobacco producers. The four multinationals that share the bulk of the French and global tobacco market are active here: Philip Morris International (PMI, 44 % of the French market), Japan Tobacco International (JTI, 24 %), Seita Imperial Brands (16.5 %) and British American Tobacco (BAT, 15 %).

- Suppliers of tobacco products, including the 36 companies authorized to import tobacco into France, as well as tobacco distributors, the main one being Logista (owned by Imperial Brands at more than 50 %).

- Professional associations and consulting firms. Among the former are the French Association of Tobacco Manufacturers (AFIT), the Association of Smoking Tobacco Suppliers (AFTF), the Association of Cigar Suppliers in France (AFCF), and the Union of Manufacturers for the International Protection of Intellectual Property (UNIFAB). Consulting firms include Thomas Marko & Associés, Vera, Cilab, Ernst & Young, Publicis, and Lysios.

- The Confederation of Tobacconists and the 23,500 tobacconists, who relay the message of the tobacco producers.

The messages from these tobacco players are notably transmitted to political decision-makers by former cabinet members who are then hired by tobacco manufacturers, according to the so-called "revolving door" principle. Marina Sauce, formerly a parliamentary assistant to MP François Bonhomme (LR), now works for JTI. Kévin Reva, former parliamentary attaché to Senator Catherine Procaccia (LR), who defended heated tobacco before the Senate in 2022, now works for PMI.

At least 1.15 million euros in lobbying activities

According to HATVP data, various tobacco industry players reported 28 employees engaged in lobbying activities. Tobacco producers are said to have invested between €775,000 and €1.1 million in these lobbying operations, excluding the sums committed to consulting firms, the total of which remains unknown. Adding in the €200,000 to €300,000 from the Confédération des buralistes and the €175,000 to €200,000 from professional associations, the ACT estimates that lobbying operations cost between €1.15 million and €1.7 million in France. However, these sums are likely underestimated, as is the number of employees dedicated to these activities, as the lobbying sector lends itself particularly well to opaque activities.

"Contrary to popular belief, the influence of the tobacco industry is not diminishing: this lobby is still powerful and is recording victories.", analyzes Martin Drago, advocacy manager at ACT[2]. During the debates on the Social Security Finance Bill (PLFSS) in the National Assembly in October 2023, 61 amendments were tabled by MPs from all sides, 53 of which aimed to reduce or eliminate the planned increases. The Confederation of Tobacconists appears to be particularly active and effective in these lobbying actions, as demonstrated by Gabriel Attal, then Minister Delegate for Public Accounts, when he assured the tobacconists' congress in October 2022 that the planned increases would be lowered and "smoothed out" over several years.

Ways to achieve greater transparency

To address these situations, the ACT incorporates some of the recommendations made for the Global Tobacco Industry Interference Index and in the White paper of the CNCT[3]These include better implementation of the World Health Organization's (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) and making tobacconists subject to the same transparency obligations as tobacco producers. ACT also calls for parliamentarians to be required to declare the origin of the amendments they support. It also wants transparency requirements for meetings between parliamentarians and tobacco companies, including the publication of agendas and a report on these meetings.

Keywords: lobbyists Alliance Against Tobacco, interference, tobacco industry, tobacconists

MF

[1] Tobacco industry: more than 1 million euros spent on lobbying to slow down public health policies, ACT, published December 4, 2023, consulted the same day.

[2] Garcia V Political Ties, Astronomical Spending: Revelations About the Powerful Tobacco Lobby, L'Express, published on December 4, 2023, consulted the same day.

[3] Achieving a tobacco-free generation: a contribution from civil society, CNCT, White Paper, May 2023, 33 p.