烟草在线据法新社报道编译　　国际烟草巨头菲莫公司在周一（6月4日）起诉挪威，声称挪威政府对零售店的烟草展示禁令违反了欧洲竞争法规。

　　菲莫挪威公司的发言人安妮·爱德华（Anne Edwards）告诉法新社说，“我们发起诉讼的原因是，如果不能在零售店展示我们的烟草产品，如挪威目前的禁令，很明显我们很难在市场上进行竞争……毕竟卷烟是一种合法产品。”

　　该宗诉讼案于本周一（6月4日）在奥斯陆地方法院开庭审理，将持续到6月13日结束。

　　挪威效仿爱尔兰和冰岛等其他几个国家的做法，在2010年开始禁止在零售店内展示卷烟，力图减少卷烟产品的冲动型购买。

　　在挪威，卷烟被强制放在封闭的盒子里，而卷烟自动售卖机也不展示卷烟品牌标签。

　　菲莫于2010年3月对挪威政府提起诉讼，声称烟草展示禁令违反了《欧洲经济区规则》（EEA），而奥斯陆地方法院在开庭审理前请求欧洲自由贸易联盟（EFTA）法院提供咨询意见。

　　欧洲自由贸易联盟（EFTA）法院在去年9月发表意见称，展示禁令从某种程度上阻碍了货物的自由流通，因而违反了《欧洲经济区规则》。

　　联盟法院还指出，挪威减少烟草消费的宗旨符合《欧洲经济区规则》，因此由奥斯陆法院做最终裁决。

　　挪威癌症协会主席安妮·丽莎雷尔（Anne Lise Ryel）称，“当涉及到预防癌症和其他多种疾病时，很明显控烟是最重要的一项举措。”该协会在本起诉讼中代表挪威当局。

　　她告诉挪威公共广播公司NRK说，“零售店内的烟草展示禁令是减少卷烟使用的一项有效举措，因为它使卷烟产品非正常化，保护儿童和年轻人避免接触烟草产品的影响，降低戒烟者重新吸烟的机会，并且避免冲动型购买行为。”

　　与此同时，菲莫质疑展示禁令对烟草消费产生的影响。

　　爱德华坚持认为，“所谓的禁令对我们的市场竞争产生了限制性影响，但同时对烟草消费没有丝毫影响”，并且挪威的“非法及未纳税烟草产品”反而有所增长。
 
　　爱德华补充说，“我们认为我们证据充分，否则我们也不会对挪威提起诉讼。”

Europe: Philip Morris Sues Norway over Tobacco Display Ban

Jun 4, 2012
Agence France Presse (AFP) (fr)

　　Global tobacco giant Philip Morris began a suit Monday against Norway, claiming that the Scandinavian country's ban on the display of cigarettes in stores violates European competition rules.

　　"The reason that we filed (the suit) is that if you can't show your products in stores, which is the case in Norway now, clearly it becomes pretty difficult to compete in the market ... with what in the end is a legal product," company spokeswoman Anne Edwards told AFP.

　　The case opened in the Oslo district court Monday and was set to last through June 13.

　　Following in the footsteps of several other countries such as Ireland and Iceland, Norway in 2010 banned the display of cigarettes in stores in an attempt to cut impulse buys of tobacco products.

　　Cigarettes were banished to closed cases and cigarette dispensers do not show brand labels.

　　Philip Morris filed its lawsuit in March 2010 claiming the display ban was a violation of European Economic Area (EEA) rules and the Oslo district court requested an advisory opinion from the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) court before hearing the case.

　　That court said last September that the display ban could to a certain extent be seen as blocking the free movement of goods, thus violating EEA rules.

　　It also pointed out that Norway's aim to reduce tobacco consumption was in line with EEA regulations, thus leaving the final conclusion up to the Oslo court.

　　"The prevention of smoking is clearly the most important single initiative when it comes to preventing cancer and a number of other illnesses," said Anne Lise Ryel, who heads the Norwegian Cancer Society, which is representing Norwegian authorities in the case.

　　"The ban on displaying tobacco in stores is an effective initiative to reduce tobacco use because it blocks a normalisation of tobacco products, protects children and young people from marketing of tobacco products, reduces the risk of relapses for former smokers and avoids impulse buys," she told public broadcaster NRK.

　　Philip Morris meanwhile disputes the fact that the display ban has had an impact on tobacco consumption.

　　"What you have is a ban that is very restrictive on competition and at the same time there's been no impact on consumption," insisted Edwards, maintaining that Norway instead had seen a hike in "illegal and non-duty paid cigarettes.

　　"We think we have a good case, otherwise we would not have filed it," Edwards added.