LONDON Cigarette packs in Europe would have to carry bigger health warnings, and cigarettes with menthol or other flavorings face a total ban, under an agreement that European Union ministers struck on Friday after spirited negotiations.

A small group led by Poland won a reprieve for slim cigarettes, which are popular among female voters in several formerly Communist nations and had also been considered for a ban.

The agreement is not the final decision, as the new tobacco rules require approval by the European Parliament before being put into effect. But the compromise was a milestone because it secured the support of national governments, including some that had fought hard to soften measures opposed by the tobacco industry and some smoker advocacy groups.

The measures reflect a concerted effort by European policy makers to reduce the attractiveness of tobacco to young people in hopes of preventing them from taking up a habit notoriously hard to kick. Cigarettes with menthol and other flavorings are considered easier for novices to smoke.

Under the deal, a health warning combining pictures and text must cover 65 percent of the front and back of all cigarette packs. That represents a reduction from the proposal going into the meeting of a 75 percent minimum, but it is an increase from the current 40 percent figure.

James Reilly, the health minister of Ireland, which holds the European Union s rotating presidency, said at a news conference in Luxembourg that about 700,000 Europeans die every year of tobacco related causes and that smoking is one of the greatest preventable and avoidable threats to health. Packaging that appeals to younger smokers, he said, was tantamount to entrapment of our young people.

The health ministers also agreed on regulation of electronic cigarettes, requiring authorization by relevant agencies in the member states before exceeding a certain nicotine threshold.

Currently, only some of the European Union nations apply such restrictions on electronic cigarettes, which produce vapors from a nicotine liquid rather than burning tobacco. But Tonio Borg, the European commissioner in charge of health and consumer policy, said e cigarettes can give a false sense of security.

The debate over flavored cigarettes mirrors a longstanding discussion in the United States. In 2009, Congress passed a law prohibiting flavorings but exempted menthol after heavy lobbying by the tobacco industry. Although Congress gave the Food and Drug Administration the authority to ban menthol if this was deemed appropriate on health grounds, the F.D.A. has taken no action.

In Europe, a ban on menthol cigarettes would not go into effect for some time. National governments would have up to three years to carry out the rules after the new tobacco law came into force. And the rollout of the new law itself, if finally approved later this year, could take about 18 months, Mr. Borg said.

Slim cigarettes, which were exempted from the compromise on Friday, had been a target because of the fear that they attract young women to smoking.

Though slim cigarettes would still be legal, new packaging and health warning requirements would prevent their sale in the small packs in which they are currently sold. Tobacco should look like tobacco and not like a perfume or a candy, Mr. Borg said. And it should taste like tobacco.

In light of the compromises, antismoking campaigners expressed disappointment that the larger pictorial warnings were not made mandatory on all cigarette packs.

Florence Berteletti Kemp, director of the Smoke Free Partnership, a European organization that promotes tobacco control and research, described the outcome on Friday as disappointing.

Despite the formidable efforts of the Irish presidency, the agreement adopted goes against key measures such as large pictorial warnings, which cost nothing to governments but would better protect millions of European children, she said in a statement. It is outrageous to see so many concessions made to an industry that buys its wealth and influence by marketing a deadly product.

Logic electronic cigarettes announces continued expansion in europe — livingston, n.j., dec. 2, 2013 /prnewswire/ —

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LIVINGSTON, N.J., Dec. 2, 2013 /PRNewswire/ LOGIC Technology, developers of premium electronic cigarettes and the #2 e cig brand in the United States, today announced the continued international expansion of its product line into Europe.

With plans to significantly enhance distribution in Q1 2014, LOGIC Technology is meeting consumer demand for the brand’s premium collection of product offerings, specifically in the United Kingdom. Through major distribution deals, LOGIC electronic cigarettes will arrive in 10,000 new UK stores in 2014.

“We’re excited to introduce our products into new markets,” said a company representative for LOGIC Technology. “As the #1 electronic cigarette brand in New York City and the #2 e cig brand in the United States, consumer demand for LOGIC continues to flourish and now is the time to dedicate resources to further expansion in the U.S. and abroad.”

LOGIC e cigarettes are available in disposable and rechargeable versions at convenience stores nationwide as well as on the company’s web site. For more information about LOGIC Technology, visit

About LOGIC Technology

LOGIC is the leader in premium electronic cigarettes, offering a smarter alternative to smoking tobacco products. With multiple industry leading patents, LOGIC sets itself apart by featuring revolutionary technology that delivers the most realistic smoking experience. Simulating the feeling and taste of a real cigarette, LOGIC provides a sensory experience that satisfies a smoker’s addictive cravings for the nicotine, tobacco flavor, hand to mouth motion and vapor release, while avoiding 4,000 toxins that are in cigarettes. For more information, please visit and

SOURCE LOGIC Technology

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