Debate: The case of Dentsu tracking and the lack of transparency of the European Commission with regard to the tobacco industry
Date: THURSDAY, 8 FEBRUARY 2024
Speaker: Ylva Johansson
Language: EN

First, the Commission has a very robust set of rules on ethics and integrity for Commission staff and on transparency. In particular, the Commission requires its top decision makers at political and administrative level to publish information on all meetings they hold with interest representatives. Minutes of all meetings are subject to document management rules and they can be subject to request for access to document. These rules are complemented by dedicated tobacco-specific arrangement and action supplied by the Commission services, with particular responsibility for setting and implementing public health policies with regard to tobacco control. These dedicated arrangement include limiting meetings with industry to those which are strictly necessary for the development of policy, and the publication of reports of all such meetings. Moreover, as recently indicated to the Ombudsman, the Commission has proactively initiated a process to ensure that directors, generals and heads of service as well as all heads of cabinet conduct an assessment of the exposure of their services to the lobbying by tobacco representatives in the context of health policies and policies related to tobacco control, and take necessary actions. Second, the EU tobacco traceability system aims to monitor and reduce the circulation of non-compliant tobacco products which can provide an artificially cheap source of tobacco products, thus impacting on public health, state budgets and legal economic operators. With specific regard to tobacco traceability, the Commission ensures that all data storage providers of the European tobacco traceability system, including Dentsu, comply with strict independence criteria. These criteria aim to ensure the absence of any conflicts of interest by the providers. Ensuring independence from the tobacco industry in both legal and financial terms is central to this policy.  Third, I want to stress that the appointment of Dentsu in June last year as the secondary repositories operator in the tobacco traceability system followed all relevant rules and procedures, thereby ensuring transparency. The procurement documents for the relevant procedure have been prepared in conformity with the implementing regulation on the technical standards for the traceability system for tobacco products and with the principle of sound financial management. It is also important to note that the Commission can terminate the contract if the operator of the secondary repository fails to comply with the independence requirements of the implementing regulation, or fails to promptly communicate to the Commission and Member States any occurrences of threats or any other attempts at exercising undue influence that may actually or potentially undermine its independence. Altogether, all the elements I have highlighted concur to build a robust, comprehensive framework with high standards of transparency and accountability, and which is compatible with the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. Let me conclude by stating strongly and clearly: public health and transparency are priorities of this Commission and the Commission will continue to be fully committed to protecting public health policymaking from the influence of the tobacco industry.