In the fight against smoking, the European state turns increasingly turn to alternative and at the same time less harmful products.
This showed a study of an independent European Council for Innovation in Politics entitled “End Smoking?
As Europe can preserve millions of life and encourage economic growth. “In this study, the economic influence of the tobacco industry at the European level, and also offers a pragmatic view of regulations that can alleviate the damage caused by smoking.
Given that the statistics show that tobacco and nicotine users will not disappear overnight, according to the authors of Antonios Nestoras, the founders of the European Council for Innovation in Politics, Europe should further encourage the use of less harmful alternatives to smoke.
According to him, this approach would achieve three goals – preserving the economic contribution “Made in Europe” production; Improving public health through a regulatory framework that makes a balance between the reduction of harmfulness and the need for cigarettes as the most common tobacco product gradually expel; Preventing the invasion of the market to unauthorized products with low safety standards.
What do the figures show – how much is the economic impact of the tobacco industry in Europe?
At the European level, the Tobacco sector contributes annually to GDP with 223.7 billion euros, which is 1.3 percent of the total GDP of the European Union. The total annual refine from the Tobacco tax reaches 112.9 billion euros (which is equal to 55.4 percent of the total funds that the EU is spending on defense). This sector directly and indirectly employs over 2.1 million people, whose salaries total amount to more than 60 billion euros.
How much is lost due to the black market and what are the solutions?
The study showed that, due to the black market, 11.6 billion euros annually loses, which is 8.3 percent of total consumption. These financial losses can be used to strengthen the activities in the field of research and development in all EU Member States for 52.5 percent, which would improve innovation in the fight against smoking.
The study also shows how encouraging in investing in minor harmful alternatives can be an effective strategy to reduce the consequences of smoking on health, and to maintain economic contribution, but also elections with an illicit black market.
In the conclusion itself, the study addresses the European Commission’s decisions, ie the Directive on Tobacco Products (TPD) and tobacco taxing directives (2011/64 / EU).
Namely, as concluded, the undertaking of extreme measures through the regulatory frameworks can reduce the competitiveness of the European market, which will benefit foreign competitors such as China, and which will encourage the spread of the black market.
(Vijesti.ba)
