Targeted groups
The general public/consumers of tobacco products; retailers of finished tobacco products; manufacturers of finished tobacco products; wholesalers and distributors of finished tobacco products; providers of solutions for operating traceability, security feature or data storage systems; governmental and non-governmental organisations active in the area of tobacco control and the fight against illicit trade.
Period for consultation
From 29 July 2016 to 04 November 2016. The consultation is now closed.
Objective of the consultation
The main aim of this consultation was to seek input from the general public and interested parties on the policy options envisaged for implementing EU-wide systems for traceability and security features, as required under Articles 15 and 16 of Directive 2014/40/EU (TPD).
The policy options were developed in the Inception Impact Assessment, which was published by the Commission in June 2016. This document formed the basis for the questions posed in the public consultation and those participating were strongly advised to review it before responding.
Through this consultation, the Commission aimed to gain feedback regarding the relevance and impact of the various policy options outlined in the Inception Impact Assessment. In particular, it aimed to:
- gain insight into which policy options are capable of fulfilling the TPD requirements whilst at the same time imposing least burden on the stakeholders concerned;
- gain realistic estimations of the financial impact of the envisaged policy options on stakeholders;
- gain insight into the impact of the envisaged policy options on SMEs;
- seek the feedback of consumers regarding aspects of particular relevance for them.
The comments received in the course of this consultation provided important input for further implementation work on the systems for traceability and security features, and as such added to the Impact Assessment process and the preparation of the relevant legislative acts.
The strategy for consultation of the general public and interested parties on the implementation work relating to Articles 15 and 16 of the TPD is outlined in this document.
Privacy Statement and protection of personal data
Please consult the rules governing personal data protection for your information, as well as the Privacy Statement.
Information on the outcome of the consultation
In reply to the consultation, 351 respondents decided to submit their comments with the help of the EU survey questionnaire. Responses were submitted from a broad spectrum of groupings. The table below shows the distribution of these groupings.
Respondent details |
Total |
Consumer/member of the general public |
23 |
Retailers of finished tobacco products |
28 |
Manufacturers of tobacco products destined for consumers (finished tobacco products) |
20 |
Operators involved in the supply chain of finished tobacco products (excluding retail) |
87 |
Providers of solutions for traceability, security features or data storage |
28 |
Governmental organisations |
26 |
Non-governmental organisations (NGO) |
56 |
Other organisations |
103 |
Total number of individual respondents 1 |
351 |
1 Note: Some respondents indicated that they belong to more than one grouping and in such cases their responses were therefore counted towards each of the groupings indicated by them.
Received submissions
In the following, you can find a link to the responses that were received in the public consultation. The responses are listed by groups of respondents.2
Consumers / members of the general public
Retailers of finished tobacco products
Manufacturers of tobacco products destined for consumers (finished tobacco products)
Operators involved in the supply chain of finished tobacco products (excluding retail)
Providers of solutions for traceability, security features or data storage
Governmental organisations
Non-governmental organisations (NGO)
(This includes any organisation that identifies itself as a not-for-profit registered organisation which is organised on a local, national or international level.)
Other organisations
(This includes all organisations which indicated that they do not fall under any of the categories mentioned above.)
2 Note: Some respondents may appear in more than one grouping where they identified themselves as belonging to more than one grouping.
The results of the public consultation will be evaluated and a quantitative overview will be published. A non-confidential summary of the comments received will also be made available via this website at a later date.
Contact details
DG SANTE, Unit B2 - "Health in all policies, global health, tobacco control"
E-mail: SANTE-B2-TOBACCO-CONTROLec [dot] europa [dot] eu (SANTE-B2-TOBACCO-CONTROL[at]ec[dot]europa[dot]eu)
Links
- Tobacco Products Directive 2014/40/EU
- Feasibility study regarding the establishment of an EU system for tracking and tracing of tobacco products and for security features
- Targeted stakeholder consultation on the implementation of an EU system for traceability and security features pursuant to Articles 15 and 16 of the Tobacco Products Directive 2014/40/EU, held from 07 May to 31 July 2015