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Australian Plain Packaging Law, International Litigations and Regulatory Chilling Effect

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Lukasz Gruszczynski
Lukasz Gruszczynski*
Affiliation:
Instutite of Legal Studies, Polish Academy of Sciences (Poland)
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Type
Reports
Information
European Journal of Risk Regulation , Volume 5 , Issue 2 , June 2014 , pp. 242 - 247
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2014

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References

1 Tobacco Plain Packaging Act 2011, No. 148, 2011, An Act to discourage the use of tobacco products, and for related purposes.

2 Ibidem, cl. 20.

3 Tobacco Plain Packaging Regulations 2011, cl. 2.4.1–2.

4 Competition and Consumer (Tobacco) Information Standard 2011, F 2011 L 02766.

5 E.g., JT International SA v Commonwealth of Australia [2012] HCA 43 (5 October 2012), available at: http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/cases/cth/HCA/2012/43.html (accessed 27 March 2014). See generally Evans, S. & Bosland, J. J., “Plain Packaging of Cigarettes and Constitutional Property Rights”, in Mitchell, A., Voon, T. & Liberman, J. (eds.), Public Health and Plain Packaging of Cigarettes: Legal Issues, Edward Elgar Publishing, Cheltenham: 2012.Google Scholar

6 Note also that although it is Ukraine and Honduras which contest the Australian measure, it is common knowledge that BAT stands behind their complaint, while Dominican Republic is supported by Philip Morris (A. Martin, Philip Morris Leads Plain Packs Battle in Global Trade Arena, 22 August 2013, available at http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-08-22/philip-morris-leads-plain-packs-battle-in-global-trade-arena.html (accessed 27 March 2014)).

7 E.g. Request for the Establishment of a Panel by Ukraine, Australia – Certain Measures concerning Trademarks and other Plain Packaging Requirements Applicable to Tobacco Products and Packaging, WT/DS434/11, 17 August 2012.

8 For a good overview of the legal problems emerging under the TRIPS Agreement, see the literature cited in T. Voon & A. Mitchell, “Implications of WTO Law for Plain Packing of Tobacco Products”, in: Mitchell, Voon & Liberman (eds.), supra note 5. But see, Frankel, S. & Gervais, D., “Plain Packaging and the Interpretation of the TRIPS Agreement”, 46 Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law 1149 (2013).Google Scholar

9 Agreement between the Government of Hong Kong and the Government of Australia for the Promotion and Protection of Investments [1993] ATS 30.

10 Notice of Claim under the Australia/Hong Kong Agreement for the Promotion and Protection of Investments, available at: http://www.dfat.gov.au/foi/downloads/dfat-foi-11-20550.pdf (accessed 9 May 2014), para. 10.

11 Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2010 National Drug Strategy Household Survey report, Drug statistics series no. 25, Cat. no. PHE 145, Canberra: 2011, p. 22.

12 Statement by WHO Director-General, Dr Margaret Chan, WHO welcomes landmark decision from Australia's High Court on tobacco plain packaging act, 15 August 2012.

13 See e.g., McGrady, B., “Trade liberalization and tobacco control: moving from a policy of exclusion towards a more comprehensive policy”, 16 Tobacco Control 280 (2007)CrossRefGoogle Scholar; Baumberg, B. & Anderson, P., “Trade and health: How World Trade Organization (WTO) law affects alcohol and public health”, 103 Addiction 1952 (2008)CrossRefGoogle Scholar; Voon, T., “WTO law and risk factors for non-communicable diseases: A complex relationship”, in: Van Calster, G. & Prevost, D. (eds.), Research Handbook of Environment, Health and WTO, Edward Elgar, Cheltenham: 2013.Google Scholar

14 Callard, C., Chitanondh, H. & Weissman, R., “Why Trade and Investment Liberalization May Threaten Effective Tobacco Control Efforts”, 10 Tobacco Control 68 (2001).CrossRefGoogle Scholar

15 D. Gleeson & S. Friel, “Emerging threats to public health from regional trade agreements”, The Lancet, 1 March 2013.

16 A. Taylor, “Plain Packaging: Fighting the Chill of Investment Treaties”, JURIST – Forum, 7 December 2011, available at http://jurist.org/forum/2011/12/allyn-taylor-tobacco-suit.php (accessed 9 May 2014).

17 WTO, 2014 News items: Panels established at the request of Japan, China and Indonesia, 26 March 2014, available at http://www.wto.org/english/news_e/news14_e/dsb_26mar14_e.htm (accessed 9 May 2014); WTO, Panels established at the request of Argentina, Cuba and the Dominican Republic, 25 April 2014, available at http://www.wto.org/english/news_e/news14_e/dsb_25apr14_e.htm.

18 Philip Morris International, Bilateral Investemnt Treaty (BIT) Arbitration, official statement at the PMI webpage, available at: http://www.pmi.com/eng/media_center/company_statements/Pages/bilateral_investment_treaty.aspx (accessed 9 May 2014).

19 In addition, proposals for plain packaging laws were also submitted in India and France (as parliamentary initiatives) but did not obtain the support of the government.

20 Ministry of Health, Proposal to Introduce Plain Packaging of Tobacco Products in New Zealand: Consultation document. Wellington: Ministry of Health, 2012.Google Scholar

21 Ministry of Health of New Zealand, Regulatory Impact Statement: Plain Packaging of Tobacco Products (undated), available at: http://www.health.govt.nz/about-ministry/legislation-and-regulation/regulatory-impact-statements/plain-packaging-tobacco-products (accessed 9 May 2014), pp. 11–12.

22 Release from the NZ Minister of Health Tariana Turia, Government moves forward with plain packaging of tobacco products, 19 February 2013, available at: http://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/government-moves-forward-plain-packaging-tobacco-products (accessed 9 May 2014).

23 Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on the approximation of the laws, regulations and administrative provisions of the Member States concerning the manufacture, presentation and sale of tobacco and related products, 19 December 2012, COM(2012) 788 final.

24 Statement of EU Commissioner Dalli in an interview with Europolitcs, available at: http://www.europolitics.info/social/revision-of-tobacco-products-directive-not-likely-before-2012-art309848-26.html (accessed 27 March 2014).

25 A. Alemanno, “Further delay in the revision of the EU Tobacco Products Directive”, available at: http://www.albertoalemanno.eu/articles/further-delay-in-the-revision-of-the-eu-tobacco-products-directive (accessed 9 May 2014).

26 Personal interviews of the author (15 January 2014).

27 Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on the approximation of the laws, regulations and administrative provisions of the Member States concerning the manufacture, presentation and sale of tobacco and related products (not yet published), preamble, para. 53.

28 C. Moodie et al, “Plain Tobacco Packaging: A Systematic Review”, Public Health Research Consortium, 2011, available at: http://phrc.lshtm.ac.uk/papers/PHRC_006_Final_Report.pdf (accessed 9 May 2014).

29 Report of the independent review undertaken by Sir Cyril Chantler, Standardised packaging of tobacco, April 2014, available at http://www.kcl.ac.uk/health/10035-TSO-2901853-Chantler-Review-ACCESSIBLE.PDF

30 Cigarette packaging: a retreat on public health that shames No 10, The Guardian, 13 July 2013, available at http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/jul/14/plain-cigarette-packaging-health (accessed 9 May 2014).

31 C. Moodie et. al., supra note 28.

32 Written Ministerial Statement, Department of Health, Consultation on Standarised Packaging of Tobacco Products, Friday 12 July 2013, available at http://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons-vote-office/July_2013/12%20July/6.HEALTH.Consultation-standardised-packaging-of-tobacco-products.pdf (accessed 27 March 2014).

33 D. Keating, “UK shelves plans for plain cigarette packaging”, European Voice, 12 July 2013, available at http://www.europeanvoice.com/article/2013/july/uk-shelves-plans-for-plain-cigarette-packaging/77870.aspx (accessed 9 May 2014).

34 British American Tobacco, UK Standarized Packaging Consultation. Response of British American Tobacco UK Limited, 8 August 2012, p. 6.

35 E.g., J. Doward, “Revealed: tobacco giant's secret plans to see off plain cigarette packets”, The Guardian, 27 July 2013, available at http://www.theguardian.com/business/2013/jul/28/philip-morris-plain-packaging (accessed 9 May 2014).

36 Tobacco Tactics, Plain Packaging in the UK, available at http://www.tobaccotactics.org/index.php/Plain_Packaging_in_the_UK (accessed 9 May 2014).

37 O. Writh, “David Cameron's ‘u-turn on a u-turn’ over cigarette packs is attempt to prevent Tories’ tobacco firm links from becoming election issue”, The Independent, 29 November 2013, available at http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/now-cigarettes-are-due-to-be-sold-in-plain-packaging-after-a-uturn-by -david-cameron-8968261.html (accessed 9 May 2014).

38 “Ireland joins tobacco plain packaging leaders”, available at http://www.euro.who.int/en/countries/ireland/sections/news/2013/ 05/ireland-joins-tobacco-plain-packaging-leaders (accessed 9 May 2014).

39 J. Reilly, “Reilly tells Big Tobacco: come ahead and sue us”, 6 October 2013, available at http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/reilly-tells-big-tobacco-come-ahead-and-sue-us-29637477.html (accessed 9 May 2014).

40 Lydgate, E. B., “Biofuels, sustainability, and trade-related regulatory chill”, 15(1) Journal of International Economic Law 157 (2012).CrossRefGoogle Scholar

41 Cf. G. Fooks & A. Gilmore, “International trade law, plain packaging and tobacco industry political activity: the Trans-Pacific Partnership”, Tobacco Control 2013;00:1–9. doi:10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2012-050869, who note that “the chilling effect is likely to be greater still for low and middle income countries as the calculation of compensation is not tied to their ability to pay” (p. 3).