PUBLIC HEALTH : COMMISSION WANTS TO PROLONG TOBACCO FUND TILL 2009.

The European Commission proposed, on 4 February, to extend the Community Tobacco Fund till 2009 in order to continue its campaign against tobacco use.

Following the reform in 2004, tobacco producing member states have committed to progressively putting an end to direct aid for its production. They are supposed to do it between 2006 and 2010 by replacing this aid with non-production-linked decoupled' payments.

Meanwhile, the European Commission would like to be able to continue - in 2008 and 2009 - to take 5% of the total budget for tobacco subsidies. The reform only foresaw this deduction till late 2007.

By the time direct subsidies are be phased out in 2010, "I think it's useful to continue using some of the money to finance actions to inform people about the harmful effects of smoking," said EU Agriculture Commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel, who is behind the proposal.

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