Federal Council wants to pre-empt tobacco advertising initiative
The Federal Council wants to restrict tobacco advertising and provide better protection for children and young people in particular. Although it rejects the tobacco advertising initiative, it largely supports its objectives.
The initiative "Yes to protecting children and young people from tobacco advertising" calls for a complete ban on tobacco advertising that reaches children or young people. In effect, this would ban cigarette advertising on billboards in public spaces. Various health organizations are behind the initiative (Werbewoche.ch reported).
Ball at the Parliament
The Federal Council shares their basic concerns. It welcomes significant restrictions on tobacco advertising to better protect young people from the dangers of tobacco, it wrote in a statement on Friday.
It had already submitted corresponding proposals to parliament in 2015, but these failed. At the second attempt, the Federal Council largely removed the advertising restrictions as demanded by parliament.
However, the Council of States has tightened the rules again. It passed a law in September that provides for additional advertising bans on cigarettes in the press and on the Internet. Sponsorship of international events is also to be banned. In addition, tobacco products are no longer to be sold to minors.
Federal Council exerts pressure
The Federal Council supports these decisions, as it states in the communication. The decisions of the Council of States strengthened the protection of minors and made it possible to ratify the World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which entered into force in 2005. This would achieve a long-standing goal of the Federal Council.
In the further parliamentary debate, the Federal Council wants to advocate additional measures for the protection of minors. For example, tobacco advertising should also be banned in cinemas and on posters. The goal is a legislative project that largely corresponds to the concerns of the initiative, writes the Federal Council. With this approach, an indirect counter-proposal would be unnecessary.
Now the Tobacco Products Act is before the National Council. There, the new majorities could come into play: At the first attempt in 2016, the large chamber voted 101 in favor of sending the bill back to the Federal Council, with the SVP and FDP voting almost unanimously. (SDA)
