Overview

• A Commission spokesperson said Brussels is not preparing a proposal to outlaw filter cigarettes and noted that only the Commission can initiate EU legislation.
• The clarification followed publication of a Council working draft urging an EU-wide ban on the manufacture, import, distribution and sale of filter cigarettes and considering tighter rules for e‑cigarettes.
• Member states are reported as divided, with France, the Netherlands and Belgium supportive and Slovakia, Italy and Greece opposed.
• Retailer associations sent a letter to Ursula von der Leyen raising urgent concerns about proportionality, economic harm to shops and the risk of illicit trade.
• Attention now turns to the WHO tobacco-control conference in Geneva on 17–22 November, which could inform any later revision of the EU Tobacco Products Directive, with high stakes in markets like Germany where about 95% of cigarettes are filtered.