In a resolution, the European Parliament calls for an investigation into the links between the Commission and the tobacco industry.

In a resolution Adopted on April 29, 2026, the European Parliament calls for a thorough examination of possible links between trade officials within the European Commission and the tobacco industry. This decision comes amid heightened vigilance regarding the application of Article 5.3 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), which requires public institutions to guard against any interference from the industry. It follows revelations concerning exchanges with representatives of Philip Morris International, raising serious doubts about the tobacco company's influence on public policy. Civil society organizations welcome this initiative while calling for a strengthening of the framework governing any potential interaction with the tobacco sector and for guarantees of transparency.

A political warning about possible conflicts of interest

The request for an investigation by Members of the European Parliament follows reports of exchanges between representatives of the European Commission's Directorate-General for Trade and stakeholders in the tobacco industry, particularly Philip Morris International. Introduced as an amendment to the resolution accompanying the 2024 budget discharge, this initiative calls on the Commission to urgently examine these interactions and report on them.[1].

These concerns follow a survey conducted at the end of 2025.[2] by anti-smoking organizations, highlighting several elements likely to characterize situations of significant influence. The documents analyzed indicate that Philip Morris International repeatedly requested the Directorate-General for Trade to have the European Union intervene with third-country governments, notably Mexico and Turkey, to challenge public health measures. These measures primarily concerned restrictions on heated tobacco products or new forms of nicotine, as well as tax measures aimed at aligning their taxation with that of cigarettes.

In this context, the industry presents these measures as "barriers to trade" or violations of World Trade Organization rules, with explicit requests for Commission intervention in bilateral trade dialogues. The investigation also highlights that the company allegedly provided European services with supporting arguments and questions to be raised in international forums. In at least one case, positions initially formulated by the company were reportedly incorporated into official exchanges with a partner country and into an assessment report, a situation the company itself described as "invaluable assistance.".

Furthermore, several meetings between industry representatives and officials from the Directorate General of Trade were reportedly not recorded according to the required transparency procedures. Civil society organizations indicate that at least eight meetings between 2023 and 2024 were not declared, raising further questions about compliance with transparency obligations.

In its resolution of 29 April 2026 on budgetary discharge, the European Parliament reiterates that, as a party to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, the European Union is obligated to protect its public policies against the commercial interests of the tobacco industry. It stresses the need to strictly limit interactions with this industry to what is strictly necessary and, where such relationships exist, to guarantee complete transparency. In a context marked by the revision of several European regulatory frameworks relating to tobacco and nicotine products, the rigorous application of this treaty obligation is all the more essential.

Civil society is calling for strengthened structural guarantees.

Several organizations, including Contre-feu, which co-authored the 2025 report with the STOP organization, welcomed this initiative while highlighting the structural limitations of the current framework. They pointed in particular to the inadequacy of transparency mechanisms and the inconsistent practices across the various directorates-general of the European Commission, which prevent complete traceability of interactions with the tobacco industry.

In connection with the current review processes, civil society is raising the alarm about the influence of industry in these processes, stressing that the lack of strict guarantees regarding transparency and independence is likely to compromise the development of policies fully aligned with public health objectives.

In this context, they call for a strengthening of the rules governing these exchanges, including the systematic publication of meetings, a harmonization of guidelines applicable to all services and stricter compliance with the practical provisions of Article 5.3 of the CCLAT.

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[1] Thomas Mangin, MEPs demand urgent probe into EU trade officials' ties to tobacco industry, Euractiv, published on April 29, 2026, accessed on May 4, 2026

[2] The tobacco lobby at the heart of the European Union, Tobacco-Free Generation, published on December 13, 2025, accessed on May 4, 2026