germany: paradise for the tobacco industry

8/14/2019 Germany: Paradise for the tobacco industry

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Germany:

Paradise for the tobacco industry

In Germany, the tobacco companies cultivatea climate of cooperation; Naturally, theGerman industry doesnt live in a space freeof regulations, hostilities and threats, but

with rigorous attention to detail they havebuilt up a network of relationships to allsegments of society and relaxed the marketatmosphere here (British American Tobaccoadvertisement in the party newspaper of the

Social Democratic Party, SPD Vorwrts).Thus we are not surprised about theparadisiacal situation for the tobaccoindustry in Germany.

After massive protests from the Forum Rauchfrei i.e., publication of the internetpapers of the tobacco industry andinternational pressure, politics in Germanyhas started to respond in the last few months.Whether a turnaround will actually come

about is still uncertain.


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Friendship between the tobacco industry and politics in Germany:

Example: patronagesBritish American Tobacco:

The Pall Mall Foundation sees one of its major tasks to be the support of occupational training and acosmopolitan attitude for young people. The Pall MallFoundations journalist prize is intended to motivate themedia and the public to support these goals. The "PallMall Initiative Job-Training" is accompanied by Prof. Dr.Jan-Hendrik Olbertz, Culture Minister of Sachsen-Anhalt, Dr. Matthias Rler, and Dr. Kajo Schommer,Saxon State Minister ret., as patrons. Dr. Matthias Rler and Dr. Kajo Schommer also assumed the patronage for the journalist prize 2002 the Pall Mall Foundation.Eberhard Diepgen (CDU), the governing mayor of Berlin

at that time, awarded the first journalist prize in 1992. From left to right: Dr. Kajo Schommer, Prof. Dr. Jan-Hendrik Olbertz, Dr. Matthias Rler

Example: sponsoringPoliticians regularly accept sponsoring money. Here e.g. the following politicians can bementioned:

Susanne Ahlers, State Secretary for Womens Affairs in the government of the state of Berlin, accepts 100,000 Euro from Philip Morris for a project dealing with violence

against women.

From left to right: representative of Philip Morris, representative of the project and State Secretary Susanne Ahlers (2006)

Klaus Bger, School Minister of the federal state of Berlin receives an internet programfor teachers dealing with addiction prevention from Philip Morris (45,000 Euro) (2005).

Thomas Goppel, Science Minister in the federal state of Bavaria awards the research prize(100,000 Euro) from Philip Morris (2004).

Wolfgang Thierse, as Bundestag President, Cultural Forum of the SPD and Philip Morris(2003).

Ulla Schmidt, Federal Health Minister receives 11.8 million Euros for tobacco prevention programs from the Association of the Cigarette Industry ( Verband the Zigarettenindustrieor VdC) with the express agreement not to discriminate the tobacco companies and their

products (2002).


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Example: festivalsEvery year, the Association of the Cigarette Industry invites members of the Bundestag and

journalists to a spring festival. This festival is especially popular because they serve the best foodand beverages as well as an exquisite entertainment program. In the last few years, for example,the following persons have attended:

Marion Caspers-Merk, Drug Prevention Commissioner of the German Government until2005

Laurenz Meyer, General Secretary of the CDU

Protest by Forum Rauchfrei and medicine students against the spring festival of the Associationof the Cigarette Industry .

Furthermore, the Association of the Cigarette Industry has also financed summer festivals of theSPD and also other events through monetary contributions.

Example: party donationsThe Association of the Cigarette Industry, Philip Morris and Reemtsma officially donated over 300,000 Euros to the FDP, SPD and CDU/CSU in the years 1997 to 2003. Donations less than10,000 Euros are not published in Germany. British American Tobacco said to this, that the

donations solely served to influence the political debate about topics that are relevant to thecompany. (Social Reporting 2005). The extent to which further donations were made in thename of individual persons is unknown. It can also not be controlled whether donations weremade to other organizations close to the parties.


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Example: advertisementsIn the SPD-Journal Berliner Republik, 40 percent of the free advertisements are paid for by thetobacco industry. In the members newspaper Vorwrts of the SPD advertisements of thetobacco industry, on the average a half a page, are printed in each monthly edition. Thus we canassume that the financing of the SPD newspapers depends to a great extent on the cigaretteindustry.

July-August 2006 edition of Vorwrts, party newspaper from the Social Democratic Party, SPD


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Example: so-called dialogue eventsBritish American Tobacco (BAT) complains about the loss of control over the public discussionabout smoking and tobacco and wants to do something about the consequences of the isolationand disrupted communication with society. To this end BAT arranges so-called dialogue eventseach year. Among others, the following persons have participated in these public relations events:Detlev Parr, member of the Bundestag for the FDP; Alexander Mller, State Secretary of the

Federal Consumer Affairs Ministry; Dr. Elisabeth Pott, head of the Federal Office for HealthEducation (Bundeszentrale fr gesundheitliche Aufklrung).

Detlev Parr, member of the Bundestag for the FDP Alexander Mller, State Secretary of the Federal Consumer Affairs Ministry

The top representative of the Protestant Church in Germany, Bishop Wolfgang Huber (2006), andthe member of the European Parliament, Dr. Silvana Koch-Mehrin, FDP (2005) spoke on thetopic Freedom of Communication at events organized by the Association of the TobaccoIndustry, to which only invited guests are admitted.

Demonstration of the Forum Rauchfrei in front of the headquarters of the Association of theTobacco Industry in Berlin against the participation of Bishop Wolfgang Huber

Furthermore, events like the blue hour for journalists (VdC), parliamentary evenings for members of the Bundestag and individual talks with parliament members take place at regular intervals.


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Example: honorary postsIn 1999, Dagmar Schipanski stood as a candidate for the office of President of the FederalRepublic of Germany. In 2000 she became President of the Deutsche Krebshilfe (German Cancer Aid), the biggest German public action against cancer. Since 2000 Dagmar Schipanski was also amember of the Board of Trustees of the Krber Foundation . The task of this Board is to monitor the public-benefit activities of the Board of Directors (Executive Board).

The Krber Foundation a non-profit organization is one of the most important privatefoundations in Germany. In accordance with its charter, the Foundation's areas of activity areinternational dialogue, science and research, education, cultural projects and the care of the sick and the elderly. The Krber Foundation is the sole shareholder of Krber Aktiengesellschaft.Krber Aktiengesellschaft has a Tobacco division : Hauni Maschinenbau AG is the parentcompany for the Tobacco division of the Krber Group. The name Hauni is synonymous with themost successful system vendor for the tobacco-processing industry. Hauni's product portfolioincludes machines, facilities and services for every processing step of the tobacco industry from

preparation of the leaves, to cigarette and filter manufacture to comprehensive services andcustomized, technical consulting. Complete systems including packaging can be offered withinthe framework of consortia. It operates a worldwide production, sales and service network. Haunicovers 70 % of the world-market for cigarette-machines. Sales in fiscal 2004 were reported at 600 million. Hauni employs more than 3.500 people worldwide. 44 % of the production of theKrber AG comes from Hauni. ( www.stiftung.koerber.de/english ; www.hauni.com )

After the public protest of Forum Rauchfrei last year, Dagmar Schipanski left the Krber-Foundation.

Sabine Bergmann-Pohl studied medicine and specialized in Pneumology. On April 5, 1990 she became the president of the Volkskammer and, as the Council of State of the GDR had beenabolished, head of state of East Germany. She was Under-Secretary of State for Health between1991 and 1998. Now she is President of the Red Cross from Berlin. Sabine Bergmann-Pohl ismember of the Board of Trustees of the Krber-Foundation and serves as Deputy-Chair.

Dagmar Schipanski Sabine Bergmann-Pohl


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Results of the friendship:

Advertisement affecting young people Not the government, but rather the tobacco industry controls the compliance with self-commitments that forbid trying to influence young people or using arguments dealing with sportor health. Advertisements on posters in the streets and in movie theatres will still be allowed after the ban on advertising in magazines that was forced by the European Union and is expected for the fall.

Young appearing models smoking in an auto (Philip Morris)

Three young appearing models (Philip Morris) Young appearing models with a tarpaulinover their heads (Reemtsma: Imperial Tobacco Group)


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Advertisement without the healthwarning

Bicycle stands (BAT)


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Sugar sprinkler (BAT)


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Waiters apron (Philip Morris)

Tobacco shop without the warning (BAT) Hidden warnings (Reemtsma: Imperial TobaccoGroup)


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Advertisement with sports

Advertisement with the soccer world cup (Reemtsma: Imperial Tobacco Group)

Advertisement with health (fruit)

Tobacco for water pipes, which is especially popular among young people


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SalesWith 60,000 cigarette machines, Germany is the world champion in uncontrolled sales of cigarettes. By January 1, 2007, cigarette machines are scheduled to be converted to chip cards, sothat youths under 16 years of age can supposedly no longer obtain cigarettes. In the photo, theDrug Prevention Commissioner of the German Government, Sabine Btzing, praised the stillcontroversial chip cards during a press conference of the Federal Association of German Tobacco

Product Wholesalers and Cigarette Machine Installers ( Bundesverband Deutscher Tabakwaren-Grohndler and Automatenaufsteller ) on May 12th 2006. The Forum Rauchfrei wrote a letter toher strongly advising against taking part on this press conference.

Drug Prevention Commissioner of the German Government Sabine Btzing on May 12th 2006


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Bans on smokingIn Germany, smoking is allowed in restaurants, hospitals, public administrations, sport facilitiesand trains. Legal bans on smoking in schools and kindergartens could be achieved in somefederal states. The federal government negotiated a voluntary agreement for non-smoking tablesin restaurants.In the last few months a nation-wide debate about bans on smoking has come into gear.

Demonstration of the Forum Rauchfrei2005 for smoke-free restaurants in front of the restaurant Sale e Tabacchi:

Learning from Italy means becoming smoke-free!

The Forum Rauchfrei demands anextensive ban on cigaretteadvertisement, doing away with allcigarette machines, higher prices for alltobacco products, legal bans onsmoking at the workplace, inrestaurants, schools, universities,childrens leisure facilities, trains, sportfacilities, cultural facilities and inpublic administrations.

Forum Rauchfrei (Smoke Free Forum)was founded in Berlin in May 2000. Itsmembers come from schools, hospitals,universities, health insurance companies,industry and district administrations aswell as the administration of the BerlinSenate. Unaffiliated individuals joinedForum Rauchfrei. The members promotethe rights of non-smokers, and theyundertake critical evaluations of the

tobacco companies and smoking in general. There are also links with other domestic and foreignnon-smoking oriented NGO's.

www.forum-rauchfrei.de

[email protected]

Handy: 017624419964

germany: paradise for the tobacco industry

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