The Commission is no doubt aware of the Dutch lawsuit last year, in which a number of tobacco manufacturers attacked the Tobacco Products Directive's requirement to furnish all additives in tobacco products (see Commission's assessment report on Directive 2001/37/EC dated 27 July 2005, pages 6-7). Seven tobacco manufacturers argued that their trade secrets would be violated.

What does the Commission intend to do about this argument on trade secrets being used, not merely in the Netherlands, to create stalling tactics and unnecessary obstacles to the efficient working of this disclosure provision (Article 6 of the Tobacco Products Directive 2001/37/EC)?

Given that other industries - including cosmetics and medicines - are subject to strict regulations about the ingredients they put into their products, does the Commission agree that the tobacco industry should be brought into line and forced to disclose the ingredients in their products and the smoke released on combustion?

Does the Commission also agree that full disclosure should be a prerequisite for the placing on the market of tobacco products within the EU?