← home page • Buzz@Bruss! Edition #3 • Bias in Brussels?
JTI has long been concerned about a lack of impartiality and glaring displays of tobacco industry exclusion from public policy fora in Brussels. We have repeatedly expressed our firm conviction in the power of open, transparent and inclusive conversations.
It is crucial that every stakeholder’s voice is heard and considered to ensure that policies intended for the general public are formulated on the basis of facts and solid evidence and with the proper consideration they require. It is imperative that there should be more transparency, accountability and inclusiveness so that no single perspective or stakeholder dominates the decision-making process on public policies.
We therefore welcome the news that the European Ombudsman opened a formal inquiry → about how the European Commission has handled (in fact, ignored) concerns raised by JTI → and regarding a potential conflict of interest situation.
For some context, only 16% of all submitted complaints to the Ombudsman in 2023 were accepted and progressed to formal inquiries → , thus underlining the gravity of the case.
JTI has discussed this matter in the first Buzz@Bruss! edition. The full article can be accessed here →
Our concerns were further exacerbated when it appeared that an employee of the lead consultancy firm hired by the European Commission to organize the public consultation on tobacco legislation has been actively engaged in anti-industry campaigns. We once again expressed our apprehension →, via our industry association Tobacco Europe, that lobbying organizations with a clear agenda to influence European tobacco legislation are awarded taxpayers’ money to lead public consultation processes while the industry’s legitimate views, factual data and independent science are often simply ignored.
Every stakeholder, the industry included, needs to be able to contribute to the debate so that balanced decisions can be made based on submission of all relevant evidence. Otherwise, those decisions could always be open to accusations of bias.
