Health Ministry Advisor Lobbying Tobacconists

After three years at the Ministry of Health, Capucine Durieux-Rudigoz was recruited by the communications and public affairs agency Image 7, where the former councillor for Avenue Duquesne will be working in the lobbying department of the Confédération des buralistes. While such a reconversion is not illegal, it does raise a question of ethics and raises the issue of the influence of the tobacco sector in public decision-making.

As La Lettre points out, the Image 7 agency, chaired by Anne Méaux, has managed to poach a former advisor to the last three health ministers: François Braun, Aurélien Rousseau and Agnès Firmin Le Bodo.[1]. Having stayed at the ministry for three years, Capucine Durieux-Rudigoz has successively served as "operational support officer" and "advisor on speeches and cross-cutting issues". From now on, she will work in particular for the public affairs of the Confédération des buralistes, which is one of the many major clients of this influential agency, along with Google, Capgemini, Pernod Ricard, Goldman Sachs, Hermès and Veolia Environnement.[2].

A practice tolerated by the HATVP

In this configuration, the newspaper recalls that this practice of "revolving doors", very common in the tobacco sector, is not illegal.

Indeed, if the High Authority for Transparency in Public Life (HATVP) prevents the former advisor to the Ministry of Health from being hired by the Confederation of Tobacconists, it does not prohibit Capucine Durieux-Rudigoz from working for the Image 7 agency. However, it might be interesting to know if the HATVP was informed that the former advisor would be specially assigned to the Confederation of Tobacconists.

Other cases of revolving doors have been identified in recent years. For example, Kevin Reva was hired by Philip Morris France after having been a parliamentary assistant to Catherine Proccacia. The former Republican senator developed a discourse in favor of heated tobacco, and was appointed rapporteur of a parliamentary mission aimed at "taking stock of the scientific aspects relating to "alternatives to tobacco", in particular their dangerousness". Similarly, Japan Tobacco International poached Marine Sauce, a former collaborator of LR senator François Bonhomme.

A challenge of porosity between public decision-making and the tobacco sector

If not deemed illegal, these "revolving door" practices directly oppose the principle of the World Health Organization Framework Convention (FCTC), ratified by France, which requires its Parties that their public policies not be influenced by the interests of the tobacco industry. However, it is highly likely that the former advisor's good knowledge of the Ministry of Health largely motivated the lobbying agency to hire the former Duquesne Avenue advisor.

Image 7, a historic ally of the tobacco industry

Image 7 agency is a long-standing partner of the tobacco sector. In 2014, the book Tobacco industry interference in public policy already mentioned that the communications and lobbying firm was working on behalf of the Confederation of Tobacconists, but also for British American Tobacco, whose budget for crisis communications alone was then estimated at 30,000 euros per month.[3]. Associating with manufacturers can significantly tarnish an agency's reputation, British American Tobacco does not appear in the list of clients published on Image 7's website. The firm is also used to working with controversial but lucrative clients, as highlighted by a 2018 investigation by Challenges, indicating that the agencies Publicis, Havas and Image 7 were working on behalf of Saudi Arabia.[4].

©Tobacco Free Generation

FT

[1] The Letter, When a former advisor to the Ministry of Health joins the tobacconists' camp, 05/09/2024, (accessed 11/09/2024)

[2] Image Seven, Customers, (accessed 09/11/2024)

[3] Eker, Béguinot, Martinet, Interference by the tobacco industry in public health policies, Status report and recommendations, 2014, (accessed 09/11/2024)

[4] Mediapart, Publicis, Havas, Image 7: communicators for Saudi Arabia, 08/11/2018, (accessed 11/09/2024)

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