France: Tobacco industry declared more than €800,000 in lobbying in 2023

According to data published in early July by the Ministry of Health, the tobacco industry said 805 992,55€ of expenses relating to influence or interest representation activities, or 13% more than in 2022[1]. Leading the way is the manufacturer British American Tobacco, which spent nearly €200,000 on hiring Forward Partners, AMC and Ernst and Young Conseil (EY) and on internal lobbyist remuneration. EY also advises competitor Philip Morris.

According to the Public Health Code, these expenses related to influence or interest representation activities include, among other things, the remuneration of personnel employed internally, for all or part of lobbying activities; the purchase of external services from consulting companies specializing in influence or even benefits in kind or in cash, the value of which exceeds €10 for parliamentarians, members of government or other personnel whose mission is to prepare decisions relating to tobacco and nicotine products.

Expenditure mainly covered by the main cigarette manufacturers

Among all manufacturers, importers, distributors of tobacco products as well as the companies, professional organizations or associations representing them, six of them declared influence expenditures for a total amount of €805,992.55. These include the Federation of Cigar Manufacturers (FFC – €228,031), British American Tobacco (€199,436.25), the Association of Smoking Tobacco Suppliers (AFTF – €129,600), Philip Morris (€104,060.86), the Société nationale d'exploitation industrielle des tabacs et allumettes (SEITA – €81,315.94) and finally JT International France (€63,548.50). Twenty-nine companies declared that they had not incurred any expenditures relating to lobbying activities (the latter being grouped under the FFC or AFTF).

These amounts also include the remuneration of internal lobbyists for the four tobacco manufacturers who declared a total of eighteen employees in 2023.

These statements differ from those issued by tobacco players on the registers of the High Authority for Transparency in Public Life (HATVP) in the same year. In December 2023, the ACT-Alliance against tobacco[2] had published a report based on this data and had estimated, by adding the 200,000 to 300,000 euros from the Confédération des buralistes and the 175,000 to 200,000 euros from professional associations, that lobbying operations had represented, in France, between 1.15 million and 1.7 million euros. The association had however warned that this sum was probably underestimated, the lobbying sector being particularly suited to opaque activities. The various tobacco players had also declared twenty-eight employees carrying out lobbying actions.

The influence of the tobacco industry in slowing down health policies

These influence activities were particularly effective for the tobacco industry since no tax measures in favor of the fight against smoking were voted on during the debates on the Social Security Financing Bill (PLFSS) in the National Assembly in October 2023. During the discussions, 61 amendments were tabled by deputies from all sides, 53 of which aimed to reduce or eliminate the planned increases. Tobacco manufacturers also benefit from significant support from the Confédération des buralistes, which is particularly active in these lobbying actions with parliamentarians.

Several French MPs had also been singled out in 2023 by the National Committee Against Smoking for their proximity to the tobacco industry by submitting amendments favorable to the latter, in particular Joëlle Melin (RN – re-elected on July 7), Caroline Fiat (LFI – Not re-elected), Charles de Courson (center – re-elected), Thibault Bazin (LR – re-elected) and Valérie Bazin-Malgras (LR – Re-elected). According to letter A, RN MP Yoann Gillet (re-elected) had been invited to lunch in June 2023 by Japan Tobacco International. The latter had submitted a bill, pushed by the Confederation, aimed at “better combating the illicit sale of tobacco”. The argument of the increase in illicit trade in tobacco products is an argument used by the tobacco industry to oppose price increase policies[3]-[4]. In this strategy of influence, the cigarette companies also use the consulting firm KPMG every year. The latter publishes a report on the subject, fully financed by Philip Morris, assessing the extent of parallel markets in France. Despite major methodological biases and its scientific invalidity, this report is the subject of media coverage and continues to be authoritative in the media and public debates.[5].

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[1] Transparency of tobacco industry influence relationships, Ministry of Labor, Health and Solidarity, published July 4, 2024, consulted July 9, 2024

[2] Tobacco industry: more than 1 million euros spent on lobbying to slow down public health policies, ACT, published December 4, 2023, accessed July 9, 2024

[3] Topart F, Béguinot E, Gallopel-Morvan K. Analyzing arguments on tobacco tax increases. Focus on French parliamentary questions and responses, 2000-2020. Tob Induc Dis. 2024 Jan 8;22. doi:10.18332/tid/175618. PMID: 38196511; PMCID: PMC10774864.

[4] Gignéau D, Guillou-Landréat M, Gallopel-Morvan K. Tobacco Tax Increases: A Discourse Analysis of the French Print and Web News Media from 2000 to 2020. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Nov 17;19(22):15152. doi:10.3390/ijerph192215152. PMID: 36429873; PMCID: PMC9691216.

[5] Report, Illicit trade, a tool for disinformation and influence of the tobacco industry, CNCT, June 2023