Inside EU Health: MOP4 closes; EU4Health receives glowing report; UK extends sugar levy to milk-based drinks
FCTC rebuts EU states’ claims tying tobacco tax rises to illicit trade; EU4Health receives glowing mid-term evaluation; UK to extend the soft drinks levy to sugary milk-based drinks
FCTC rebuts EU states’ claims tying tobacco tax rises to illicit trade
The fourth session of the Meeting of the Parties (MOP4) to the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products closed with new commitments to strengthen co-operation.
“The decisions we have taken during this MOP strengthen the Protocol and send a clear message: we are united, we are resolute, and we will continue to adapt to meet the challenges of an ever-evolving illicit market,” said Acting Head of the Secretariat of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) Andrew Black.
In recent discussions among EU finance ministers on the proposed revision of the Tobacco Taxation Directive, many countries, particularly those with external borders, raised concerns that increased taxation would lead to more illicit trade.
Scare tactics: The FCTC said that the narrative linking tax increases with illicit trade is a familiar industry strategy: “A tactic that we call one of the scare tactics… to say that if countries raise taxes, they will see an increase in illicit trade.” The evidence “has proven that this is not the case.”
Senior FCTC Lawyer, Kate Lannan, added that EU countries had a “granular” level of data available to them to rebuff these types of arguments: “the facts simply do not show that [higher taxes lead to] a rise in illicit trade”.
Catherine Feore
EU4Health receives glowing mid-term evaluation
Reading the report on the performance of the EU4Health programme, it’s surprising that it was so easy to axe €1 billion from its budget and reallocate it to support Ukraine. Established in 2021, it takes us back to COVID times and when there was a sudden realisation that the EU could and should do much more in the field of health.
The Commission highlights how many contracts were signed (726, if you're interested) or the number of collaborating organizations (499).
But to pull out some of the more impressive figures: 600,000 displaced Ukrainians received psychological first aid and mental health services; 26 countries joined the wastewater surveillance initiative; the European Reference Networks were expanded to 1,619 healthcare providers, enabling 2.24 million rare-disease patients to access specialized advice; 215,000 mpox vaccine doses were donated to the Africa CDC; 44 projects were selected to help with the implementation of health data access bodies, paving the way for the European Health Data Space and much more.
Understandably, some EU health ministers have expressed concern that health has been placed under the competitiveness heading in the proposed multi-annual financial framework for 2028–2034. Belgian health minister Frank Vandenbrouke said it would be better if health were more easily identifiable in the future budget.
UK to extend the soft drinks levy to sugary milk-based drinks
The UK government has announced plans to extend the soft drinks levy to sugary milk-based drinks. Health Secretary Wes Streeting said, “The levy has already shown that when industry cuts sugar levels, children’s health improves. So, we’re going further.”
Diabetes UK's Head of Policy, Helen Kirrane, said that with cases of type 2 diabetes continuing to rise at an “alarming rate”, particularly in younger people, the UK needs bold action.
The change forms part of a wider government strategy to tackle obesity, including banning junk-food TV advertising before 9 pm, prohibiting the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to under-16s, and giving local authorities greater powers to prevent fast-food outlets opening near schools.