E-cigarettes, socialists and Greens scuttle anti-smoking text with conservatives and sovereignists

Brussels – Electronic cigarettes and their stop, all against all and full reverse. The European Parliament squabbles over reform hypothesis on smoke-free environments. The promise of alliance among the institution’s main groups breaks down the day after the College of Commissioners’ vote. After having passed, by a narrow margin, the confidence vote, there it is again, the waltz of majorities disappearing and reconstituting. In the concrete case, the parliament rejected the recommendation calling for a crackdown on products that emit aerosols (electronic cigarettes) in public places, including outdoors. “No” to the text by 378 votes, compared to 152 in favour and 26 abstentions. Scuttling the text were Socialists (S&D), conservatives (ECR), Greens and sovereignists (PfE).

The final result sanctions a convergence that clashes with the debate that accompanied the vote on the new College of Commissioners. Parts of the Greens and Socialists did not see fit to support it because of the presence of Raffaele Fitto, a member of Fratelli d’Italia and ECR, who shifted the balance of the Commission too far to the right. Yet now, Greens and socialists are rejecting Parliament’s position on a sensitive issue along with the right.

The reason for this unusual alliance was about the terraces of bars and restaurants. Amendments calling for extending the electronic cigarette smoking ban to these areas were not approved. Doing so would have resulted in a milder text in terms of health protection, and so it was decided to scuttle the text, which was non-binding in any case.

In the end, the only ones really in favour were the MEPs of the EPP because, at the time of the vote, the liberals of Renew Europe split (23 in favour, 28 against, and eight abstained). In the game of blown-up alliances, Forza Italia members voted along with the 5 Star Movement.

The result, from a practical point of view, is that the Parliament does not have a position on the EU Commission’s proposal to review the rules for outdoor smokers—a position the Council should take next Dec. 3, when the health ministers meet in Brussels.