Advertising and sponsorship of tobacco products

The Council held a policy debate on the proposal for a Directive. This new proposal is intended to replace an earlier Directive (98/43/EC) on the same subject which was annulled by the European Court of Justice on 5 October 2000 on the grounds that some provisions were not in conformity with the legal basis on which it had been adopted. The Council's discussion focused on the scope of the proposal, taking account of the judgment by the Court of Justice. The Council asked the Permanent Representatives Committee to continue examining the proposal pending the European Parliament's first-reading Opinion.�