EU Legislators OK Cigarette Warnings...

BRUSSELS, December 13 - The European Parliament on Wednesday approved a measure that, when enacted, will force cigarette makers to devote a big portion of packaging to literal and graphic health warnings.

The European Union legislators voted for health warnings to cover 30 percent of the front and 40 percent of the back of cigarette packages. The current warnings cover only 4 percent.

The health warnings will go up to cover 45 percent in countries where two languages are spoken like in Finland. The warnings will have to cover half of the packages if three languages are spoken in one country like in Belgium and Luxembourg.

The new rules, if enacted, will also force cigarette makers to put graphic warnings on their products, such as pictures of a diseased mouth, a cancerous lung or a brain damaged by a smoke.

The measure also calls for health warnings to be posted on cigarette vending machines.

The health warnings proposed by the legislators include "Smoking kills half a million people each year in the European Union", "Passive smoking harms those around you, especially children" or "Smoking kills".

The parliamentary measure is also expected to force cigarette makers to cut tar and nicotine contents in cigarettes sold within the European Union as well as for exports.

The health ministers from the 15 EU member states are meeting on Thursday to discuss the same issue. If they endorse the parliamentary measure, it will become law across the union.

The council of health ministers and the parliament share decision-making power over the issue and will probably have to meet in a conciliation committee to work out a mutually-accepted measure.

The health warning measure is expected to take effect at the end of 2003. The European Parliament approved a transition period to give cigarette makers time to adapt.

Xinhua Agency