WRITTEN QUESTION No. 3357/97 by Ursula SCHLEICHER to the Commission. Indirect advertizing for tobacco
C 134/146 EN Official Journal of the European Communities 30. 4. 98 (98/C 134/195) WRITTEN QUESTION E-3357/97 by Ursula Schleicher (PPE) to the Commission (22 October 1997) Subject: Indirect advertizing for tobacco It appears that the Councilís Healthí working party is currently working on a compromise proposal to ban tobacco advertizing. This proposal also provides for a ban on áindirectí tobacco advertisements. This would affect advertisements for cosmetics, for example, which are marketed under the same brand trademark as cigars. 1. Is the Commission aware that a blanket ban on áindirect advertizingí will have a detrimental effect on other products manufactured by the same firms, even though the advertising for such products › cosmetics, for example › does not in any way recall advertising for tobacco products? Does the Commission realise that the version of the draft directive currently under discussion takes little 2. account of the interests of manufacturers of diversification products? Is the Commission aware that a ban on advertising for diversification products which do not in any way 3. encourage the consumption of tobacco cannot be justified on health grounds and is therefore an infringement of Articles 30 and 59 of the EC Treaty? 4. What action does the Commission intend to take to ensure that only a proposal which is in conformity with the Treaty is adopted by the Council? Answer given by Mr Flynn on behalf of the Commission (24 November 1997) The position of the Commission is set out in its amended proposal (1), the intention of which, in particular, is to ensure that a ban is imposed on indirect forms of advertising, which while not actually mentioning the tobacco product, use trade marks, emblems, symbols or other distinctive elements associated with tobacco products. The Commission will make known to the Parliament its point of view on the common position when it is adopted by the Council. (1) OJ C 129, 21. 5. 1992. (98/C 134/196) WRITTEN QUESTION E-3358/97 by Caroline Jackson (PPE) to the Council (23 October 1997) Subject: Amsterdam Treaty: Declaration on the quality of the drafting of EU legislation 1. What action does the Council Secretariat propose to take to lay down guidelines on the quality of drafting of Community legislation, as it was invited to do by the European Council meeting in Amsterdam? 2. What appropriate organizational measures does the Council plan to take to ensure that the guidelines are applied? 3. Will its priorities include a review of staff training, and the allocation of specific responsibilities to staff in each section to monitor output for plain language? 4. When does the Council Secretariat expect to complete its initiatives on the quality of drafting of Community legislation, and will it produce a report for the Council and European Parliament on the outcome?