26th Feb 2014 11:16
Strasbourg, France (Alliance News) - The European Parliament is Wednesday expected to approve new, stricter tobacco legislation aimed at curbing smoking, including larger, graphic warnings on tobacco products and phasing out menthol cigarettes.
The vote follows a compromise deal reached in December between parliament and the bloc's governments.
Under the deal, tobacco companies would be required to cover 65% of the front and back of their packages with health warnings, including graphic photos, for instance, of diseases caused by smoking.
Countries wishing to introduce plain packaging could do so.
Flavoured tobacco products with high sales volumes would be banned. There will be a four-year, phase-out period for the popular menthol cigarettes.
E-cigarettes will also be regulated, although efforts to have them classified across the board as medicinal products failed.
Copyright dpa
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