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| Tobacco Fund | |
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The
"Community Tobacco Fund" -
originally called "Community
fund for tobacco research and
information" and renamed
"Community Tobacco Fund by
regulation
(EC) N° 546/2002, OJ L 84,
28.3.2002, pp. 4-7
 - is
derived directly from the aid
granted for the production of
raw tobacco within the
framework of the common
agricultural policy. In the
political discussions on the
need to continue giving
support to the production of
raw tobacco, which costs
around 950 million euro per
year, the Council decided
initially to introduce a levy
not exceeding 1% on this
subsidy to finance a
Community
fund for research and
information
. The
percentage of the levy
required for the Fund has
been increased in stages, and
will be raised up to 5%, and
its scope was
extended.
The
Fund finances
projects:
- On
the development of new
tobacco varieties and
cultivation methods,
alternative uses for raw
tobacco and alternative crops
(until 2001) and projects to
help tobacco growers to
switch to other crops or
activities (since 2002).
These projects are run under
the responsibility of the
Agriculture
General Directorate (DG
AGRI)
- On improving public
awareness of the harmful
effects of tobacco
consumption through education
and information. These
projects are run under the
responsibility of the
Directorate-General for
Health and Consumer
Protection (DG SANCO).
In
2004, the budget heading
relating to the Community
Tobacco Fund has been
allotted an appropriation of
14.4 million euro (fourteen
million four hundred
thousand) to cover
communication actions taken
by DG SANCO. The conditions
under which the Fund finances
information programmes and
measures to promote a switch
of production are laid down
in
Commission
Regulation (EC) No 2182/2002
of 6 December 2002
.
It is
very important to stress that
the Commission's position is
clearly that there is no
justification for tobacco
subsidies to continue to be
linked to tobacco production,
from a public health, as well
as an economic perspective.
This is all part of moving
the EU towards an efficient
and sustainable agricultural
sector. In 2001 already, the
Commission's proposal
"
A Sustainable Europe for a
Better World: A European
Union Strategy for
Sustainable Development"
 (87 KB) to the Gothenburg
Council planned to "reorient
support from the Common
Agricultural Policy to reward
healthy, high-quality
products and practices rather
than quantity and to adapt
the tobacco regime so as to
allow for a phasing out of
tobacco subsidies while
putting in place measures to
develop alternative sources
of income and economic
activity for tobacco workers
and growers".
The Common Agricultural Policy reform regulations of
2003
(87
KB) and
2004
provide the mechanisms allowing
the existing tobacco subsidies
to be converted to a single
farm payment as income support
to farmers. In 2006, the reform
will start with the transfer of
all or part of the current
tobacco premium to adjust to a
situation where product support
will be progressively phased
out. This will encourage
farmers to switch to other,
more sustainable crops and give
more coherence in EU tobacco
control policy.
As a result, the Tobacco
fund will also come to an end
before the end of the
decade.
The Fund's public health
objectives
The Commission
Regulation on the application
of the Fund sets out the
following public health's key
objectives:
- raising public
awareness of the harmful
effects of tobacco consumption,
including passive smoking;
- improving the
relevance and effectiveness of
the messages put across about
the harmful effects of tobacco
consumption, and the methods of
communication used (language
and images);
- preventing and
stopping smoking;
- disseminating the
results to the national
authorities and the relevant
sectors.
Scientific and Technical
Committee of the Tobacco
Fund
Read more...
Fund: Activities to date
 Call
for projects
As far
as the information
projects are concerned,
two calls for projects
were published in 1994
and 1996...
Call
for tenders
HELP
campaign, Colour
photographs, Feel-free
campaign...
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