Philip Morris urges von der Leyen to include tobacco sector in EU competitiveness debate

Philip Morris International (PMI) has called on European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to engage in a fair, transparent and science-based dialogue with the tobacco and nicotine industry as the EU prepares major revisions of tobacco legislation.

In a letter sent to von der Leyen on 12 March and made public this week by Massimo Andolina, PMI's President for Europe, the company argues that the ongoing revisions of the Tobacco Excise Directive (TED) and Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) should take greater account of industrial competitiveness, innovation and employment concerns.

The letter, addressed to the Commission President and copied to European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, António Costa, President of the Council of the EU and Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides - holding the rotating Presidency of the Council in the first half of 2026 - comes as Brussels considers new rules affecting tobacco, nicotine and alternative nicotine products across the European Union.

PMI says its sector supports more than 2.1 million jobs across the EU and maintains a value chain involving over 45,000 small and medium-sized enterprises, hundreds of thousands of agricultural workers and retailers, and manufacturing operations spread across several member states.

"Our industry is deeply rooted in Europe, it is a lawful industry and one in profound transformation," Andolina wrote in a public statement accompanying the release of the letter.

The company indicates that tobacco and nicotine policy should be guided by scientific evidence and should differentiate between traditional cigarettes and so-called smokefree alternatives, including heated tobacco products and e-cigarettes. PMI cites the European Parliament's 2021 BECA report, which called for continued scientific assessment of the risks associated with novel nicotine products compared with conventional cigarettes.

"This is not about cigarettes," PMI states in the letter. "At PMI, we are leading the sector's transformation toward replacing cigarettes for adult smokers with smokefree products that, while addictive and not risk free, are a better alternative to smoking."

The company also links competitiveness concerns with efforts to combat illicit trade. According to figures cited in the letter, more than 52 billion illicit cigarettes were consumed in Europe in 2024, resulting in an estimated €19.4 billion in lost tax revenues for governments.

PMI indicates that excessive taxation or regulatory measures risk driving consumers toward illegal markets, benefiting criminal organisations while reducing government revenues.

However, public health organisations have urged EU institutions to take a different approach.

The Smoke Free Partnership (SFP), a coalition of health organisations working on tobacco control policy, has called for a strengthened Tobacco Products Directive that addresses the growing use of e-cigarettes, heated tobacco products and other novel nicotine products while countering what it describes as evolving tobacco industry strategies. The organisation argues that revised legislation should remain aligned with the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and the EU's ambition to create a tobacco-free generation by 2040.

Lilia Olefir, Director of the Smoke Free Partnership, recently described the revision of EU tobacco legislation as "a unique opportunity for EU governments to put people's health before tobacco industry profits," noting that tobacco-related diseases continue to claim more than 700,000 lives annually across Europe.

The European Cancer Organisation has similarly called for stronger action on tobacco and nicotine products, warning that tobacco consumption remains the leading preventable cause of death in the European Union and accounts for approximately 27% of all cancer cases. The organisation has urged policymakers to ensure that revisions of EU tobacco legislation support the bloc's cancer prevention objectives and address the increasing use of novel nicotine products among young people.

Health advocates also point to Article 5.3 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which recognises a fundamental conflict between public health policy and the commercial interests of the tobacco industry, and recommends that interactions between policymakers and tobacco companies be strictly limited and fully transparent.

The debate highlights a growing tension in Brussels between industrial competitiveness and public health priorities.

PMI argues that Europe should avoid policies that "discriminate, silence or marginalise one lawful industry and all its people," and says future legislation should be based on inclusiveness, transparency and evidence.

Health organisations counter that stronger regulation remains necessary to reduce smoking rates, protect young people from nicotine addiction and achieve the EU's target of a tobacco-free generation by 2040.

The European Commission has not publicly responded to PMI's request for a meeting.

The forthcoming revisions of the TED and TPD are expected to become one of the most closely watched public health and industrial policy debates in Brussels over the coming months, with significant implications for taxation, innovation, manufacturing investment and consumer regulation across the European Union.

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