Four times more tobacco lobby meetings while Brussels rewrites smoking rules

European Parliament members have logged more than 400 meetings with tobacco and nicotine industry representatives since renewing office in summer 2024. That figure is roughly four times the total recorded across the entire previous parliamentary term, according to analysis of the EU Transparency Register by lobby group, the Smoke Free Partnership.

Most of those contacts have been with MEPs from the European People’s Party, the European Conservatives and Reformists. Philip Morris International alone accounts for at least 178 of the declared meetings, with British American Tobacco responsible for around 60. The original figures were reported by Politico Europe.

Spain’s tobacco heartland draws industry attention

Spain ranks among the countries whose MEPs have been most active in these discussions. Almost all Spanish tobacco leaf production comes from Extremadura, which supplies around a fifth of the EU total and supports thousands of rural jobs. Spanish EPP MEP Elena Nevado del Campo, who represents the region, has held eight meetings with industry representatives. She has said the contacts reflect the importance of local growers and employment in her constituency.

Philip Morris has long bought a substantial share of Extremadura leaf and has certified it for use in heated tobacco products as the company shifts toward smoke-free alternatives.

What the talks are about

Meetings have centred around the European Commission’s planned revisions to the Tobacco Products Directive, advertising rules and taxation. Topics regularly listed include product standards, advertising restrictions and “harm reduction” approaches for heated tobacco and nicotine pouches. Public-health campaigners argue that the volume of access sits uneasily with the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which says interactions with the industry should be limited to what is strictly necessary when setting health policy.

Industry representatives and some MEPs counter that the meetings are transparent, legitimate and do not automatically equal influence. A spokesperson for one EPP member noted that meeting a stakeholder does not mean endorsing their position.

Everyday impact for people in Spain

Any new EU rules will eventually be implemented in Spain and play a role in reshaping Spanish smoking culture. Changes could affect the price and availability of cigarettes, heated tobacco devices, vapes and nicotine pouches. They also sit against ongoing Spanish debates about outdoor smoking. Spain’s planned terrace and beach restrictions were still being amended when the recent snap election dissolved Congress, leaving the terrace smoking ban unfinished for now. Separate research has shown that roughly half of non-smokers in Spain are exposed to terrace smoke.

Readers in coastal towns from the Costa del Sol to the Costa Blanca will notice any shift in rules or prices at their local estanco or bar terrace. Higher taxes or tighter product rules have already been linked to increased illicit tobacco use in Spain. Concerns about newer products also appear in reporting on the EU nicotine crackdown and warnings over illegal vapes.

Declared meetings represent a minimum figure. Not every contact is registered. The Smoke Free Partnership has published its full data and press release, while Spain’s Ministry of Health and Spanish MEPs have yet to issue detailed responses to the latest numbers.

What this suggests is that Spain is that the strongest opponent in Europe, and also the strongest stalwart when it comes to the European Union implementing laws restricting smoking.