European NGOs are raising the alarm about the collusion of members of the European Economic and Social Committee with the tobacco lobby.

Sixteen European NGOs, including Contre-Feu and the French National Committee Against Smoking (CNCT), are warning against industry interference in the ongoing revision of the Tobacco Tax Directive (TTD). The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), a key EU advisory body, has indeed adopted arguments from the tobacco and nicotine industry in its recent report, despite proven conflicts of interest between public health and industry objectives, risking the weakening of effective tax measures against smoking.[1]. NGOs are therefore calling for strict independence and transparency of public health policies from industry, and for the application of all proven WHO measures to combat the nicotine epidemic.

Industrial arguments echoed by European institutions

The EESC, consulted on the revision of the Tobacco Tax Act, acknowledges the need to update the tax framework, but promotes the arguments of the tobacco industry: lower taxes for heated products or nicotine pouches ("less risk, less tax") and the objection of a surge in the illicit market in the event of rapid increases in excise duties. These positions contradict independent scientific data.

This opinion from the EESC was exploited by the tobacco lobby to further influence the European decision-making process. It was widely disseminated by the news site EU Reporter, which has often proven to be a mouthpiece for the tobacco lobby, and the World Vapers' Alliance, a front organization for the tobacco industry, also welcomed the fact that Europe's own advisors now support the principle of "less harm, less tax." On LinkedIn, the EU Reporter article was shared by Quit Like Sweden, another front organization for the tobacco industry.[2].

Conflicts of interest at the heart of the EESC and a collective call to action

However, it appears that this opinion is far from being an "independent" one based on verified facts, as demonstrated by the highlighted links with the tobacco lobby. The EESC rapporteur, Matteo Carlo Borsani, heads European affairs for Confindustria, an Italian federation of which Philip Morris International (PMI) is an influential member. In a transparency document published by PMI, the company lists the professional and trade associations in which it held a leadership role in 2024, through seats on the board of directors or the executive committee. Its ten largest memberships funded that year are also listed: Confindustria is among them. This connection raises serious concerns about potential conflicts of interest and the impartiality of the EESC.

Cassandre Bigaignon, European and international advocacy officer at Contre-Feu, the French alliance bringing together all civil society actors committed to the fight against smoking, declared:« This clear conflict of interest violates Article 5.3 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which requires that public health policies be protected from the influence of the tobacco industry. The findings of this report cannot be considered a legitimate contribution to the debate on this crucial directive. We demand that the EU fully respect its obligations under the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, raise public awareness of the tactics used by the tobacco industry to influence policymaking, limit contact with the tobacco industry to what is strictly necessary for regulation, and make all interactions public. »

The stakes are high, as Erin Roman, director of the European Smoke Free Partnership coalition, also pointed out:« The WHO European Region has the highest rates of tobacco and nicotine use in the world, with particularly worrying trends in nicotine use among young people. The revision of the Tobacco Control Directive (TCD) presents a crucial opportunity to reverse this trend. The TCD must be ambitious, sustainable, and based on independent scientific evidence and public health priorities, not on narratives promoted by the tobacco industry. EU institutions have a responsibility to ensure that this process remains robust, transparent, and free from industry influence, and to adopt a directive that significantly reduces tobacco and nicotine use across Europe. »

©Generation Without Tobacco

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[1]Tobacco Industry Lobby Infiltrates Advisory Process on EU Tobacco Tax Directive, Joint press release, published on March 17, 2026, accessed on March 18, 2026

[2]EU advisory body speaks language of tobacco lobby, TabakNee, published on March 12, 2026, accessed on March 18, 2026

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