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Recommendation of the European Ombudsman in the inquiry into complaint 852/2014/LP against the European Commission regarding its compliance with the Tobacco Control Convention

A non-governmental organization (NGO) complained that the European Commission was violating the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which requires parties to protect against commercial and other vested interests of tobacco companies. The European Ombudsman agreed with the NGO that the European Commission’s policies did not provide sufficient transparency about its meetings with tobacco industry representatives. The Ombudsman recommended that the Commission put into place a policy—similar to the policy currently in place by the Directorate General for Health and Food Safety—that requires online publication of all meetings with tobacco industry representatives and publication of the minutes from those meetings. 

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Recommendation of the European Ombudsman in the inquiry into complaint 852/2014/LP against the European Commission regarding its compliance with the Tobacco Control Convention (2015).

  • European Union
  • Oct 1, 2015
  • European Ombudsman

Parties

Plaintiff

  • 4 additional NGOs
  • Corporate Europe Observatory

Defendant European Commission

Legislation Cited

International/Regional Instruments Cited

WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC)
WHO FCTC Article 5.3 Guidelines

Related Documents

None

Type of Litigation

Enforcement Action by a Private Individual or Private Entity
Some jurisdictions allow an individual or organization to initiate an action against another private party who is not following a particular law. For example, a person may sue a restaurant that allows smoking despite a smoke free law. If the plaintiff is claiming the violation of the law caused physical harm, this may also be a personal injury case.
Action against Government to Advance the Public Interest
An individual or organization may sue their own government in order to advance or protect the public interest. For example, an NGO may sue the government claiming the government’s weak tobacco control laws violated their constitutional right to health.

Tobacco Control Topics

Industry Interference
Measures to protect health policies from the commercial or other vested interests of the tobacco industry. (See FCTC Art. 5.3)

Substantive Issues

Tobacco Control Law Violation
A claim of a violation of a tobacco control law or statute.
Non-Mandatory WHO FCTC Guidelines
The WHO FCTC Guidelines are not mandatory for Parties and merely suggest policies, or a discussion on the effect of the Guidelines on national legislation.

Type of Tobacco Product

None

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