{"id":459466,"date":"2026-07-09T17:22:55","date_gmt":"2026-07-09T15:22:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.eunews.it\/2026\/07\/09\/tabacco-consultazione-ue-commissione\/"},"modified":"2026-07-09T18:02:41","modified_gmt":"2026-07-09T16:02:41","slug":"tobacco-over-82000-responses-to-the-eu-public-consultation-with-90-per-cent-raising-objections-to-the-reform","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.eunews.it\/en\/2026\/07\/09\/tobacco-over-82000-responses-to-the-eu-public-consultation-with-90-per-cent-raising-objections-to-the-reform\/","title":{"rendered":"Tobacco: over 82,000 responses to the EU public consultation, with 90 per cent raising objections to the reform"},"content":{"rendered":"

Brussels \u2013 The European Commission\u2019s review of the<\/span> Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) <\/a>is faced with a fact that is hard to ignore.<\/span> Over 90 per cent of the more than 82,000 responses<\/a> responses received during the <\/a>public consultation<\/a><\/span> on the reform of the legislation expressed at least one substantial criticism of the regulatory approach proposed by Brussels. This is the finding of an analysis published by We Are Innovation<\/strong><\/a>, an independent network of experts studying the relationship between innovation, regulation, and economic growth, entitled \u201cThe TPD Revision and Europe\u2019s Innovation Economy: A Review of the Evidence\u201d. The study examined the entire body of the European consultation, classifying the contributions received by content and the positions expressed.<\/p>\n

According to the analysis, only around two per cent of the responses would have openly supported a more restrictive approach<\/strong>. Furthermore, these criticisms<\/a> do not appear to come from a single interest group: 96 per cent of contributions from the academic and research communities were found to be opposed to the proposed direction, as were 94 per cent of those submitted by businesses, NGOs and other organisations, and 93 per cent of responses from members of the public.<\/p>\n

CEO Fern\u00e1ndez: \u201cOpposition grows with expertise\u201d<\/h4>\n

Federico Fern\u00e1ndez<\/a>, CEO of We Are Innovation, emphasises that the most significant aspect is the broad-based nature of the criticism. \u201cThe scale of the response points to something that deserves to be taken into consideration<\/strong>,\u201d says Fern\u00e1ndez. \u201cOf over 82,000 contributions from 138 countries, more than 90 per cent raised at least one substantial objection, while around two per cent expressed support. Consistency is key: objections appear in 96 per cent of academic responses, 94 per cent of those from companies, NGOs and other organisations, and 93 per cent of those from members of the public.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to the CEO, this phenomenon shows that it is not merely a clash between economic interests and public authorities. \u201cWhen concern is so widespread across different groups and disciplines, it points to a shared problem rather than the influence of a single interest<\/strong>,\u201d he argues. Among the priorities identified by We Are Innovation for the revision of the TPD, risk differentiation is a key focus.<\/p>\n

\u201cRisk differentiation must form the basis of the regulatory framework<\/strong>,\u201d says Fern\u00e1ndez. \u201cOnce regulation reflects relative risk, the other elements can find their balance.\u201d According to the organisation, treating combustible and non-combustible products in the same way would risk ignoring significant differences and hindering innovation in the sector.<\/p>\n