Wiles of the tobacco industry which put the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration of the Republic of Moldova in a difficult situation

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27 septembrie, 2016, 18:34

Vizualizări: 1869

Author: Elena Cioina

Last week I described the way the biggest world cigarette producer (JTI) is promoted in the Republic of Moldova through a state central institution. The name of the company appears in a press release posted on the web-site of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration and relates to financial support of a European scholarship program for Moldovan journalists. Although the relation is indirect, because the program is launched by a Romanian Foundation and Moldovan NGO, the Tobacco Control Act prohibits the state central authorities any partnerships with tobacco industry.

Sanatate INFO editorial body received an answer from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, according to which it does not assume the mistake. It states that the authority did not violate any article of Anti-Smoking Law and that the reference to the name of the company in the press release posted on 7 September was made “in the context of an excursion in the history of the scholarship program”, and that there is only one partnership between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Euromonitor Foundation for Excellence (Romania) and National Communication Center (Moldova), which cooperate within this program with tobacco industry. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs writes that it agreed with this program, because the purposes of those two organizations complied with the requirements of Moldovan mass-media and of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and were related to the improvement of professionalism of local journalists in the field of reflection of subjects on the European integration of the country.

Press release dated of 7 September 2016, to which you refer, specifies a partnership between MFAEI, Euromonitor Foundation for Excellence (Romania) and National Communication Center (CNC, Republic of Moldova) – local organizer of the program. A single reference to a private company in that press release was made in the context of an excursion in the history of the scholarship program launched since 1990 with the support of USA Government and relaunched in 2007, in a new format of European scholarship for journalists. Immediately after that history, there is stated the organization responsible for the implementation of the program in the Republic of Moldova – “NationalCommunicationCenter”. The MFAEI is also sure that all aspects of the program fit in the legal framework of the Republic of Moldova and comply strongly with the current laws.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also states that it did not sign any partnerships with local or foreign tobacco companies, and that for the last year’s edition of scholarship program it has been working according to the same model, and the launch was announced before the entry of Anti-Smoking Law into effect. Besides, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the partnership with Euromonitor Foundation for Excellence and CNC has no financial implications.

I asked a lawyer about the partnership, which includes the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, even if there is no written agreement with the tobacco industry. Ion Dodon thinks that, however, the institution violated Article 28 of Anti-Smoking Law.

“I found, however, that the Anti-Smoking Law was violated, because Article 28 refers specifically to such situations, prohibiting any public authority (in this case the Ministry of Foreign Affairs) to collaborate and to promote partnerships with the tobacco industry. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to know that the written conclusion of a partnership would represent a willful violation. Finally, I am referring to an unwritten partnership, which is anyway a partnership. This refers to acceptance and promotion of such a partnership. The idea is that when you read this letter, you understand that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs accepts and promotes the partnership, the tobacco industry has with other institutions”, said Ion Dodon.

He thinks that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs gave another answer, because it does not consider this partnership outrageous and tries to overcome this situation which is unfavorable for image and obligations undertaken, including within the secretariat of Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.

“They try to overcome the situation. Now, I do not know what they might do. They shall hereinafter refrain from such partnerships, even unwritten ones”, specified Ion Dodon.

The representatives of the NationalCommunicationCenter consider that they launched this partnership, being sure that the strategic objectives of the program fully comply with the CNC objectives related to communication in the field of European integration and with objectives related to the European integration of the Republic of Moldova.

“It was important for us that this program contributes to the improvement of journalists’ professionalism in the field of European integration and provides them the possibility to interact directly with official institutions and mass-media of EU. The sponsors of the program did not request by any means this year, or in 2015, the promotion of their field of activity or any products resulting from it, within the event of the industry, they represent” (press release sent by CNC to our editorial body).

“Its representatives ensured us that the courses within the training of 2015 were focused just on subjects announced in the program, and that they were aimed at European Union institutions and relationship of Moldova with European community. In 2016 the situation will be the same”, stated Sorina Stefarta, CNC president, for Sanatate INFO.

“To make sure, we invite you to delegate a reporter of Sanatate INFO as a scholar within current program edition”, added CNC president.

It should be noted that the European scholarship program of the previous year trained five journalists of the Republic of Moldova, among whom the journalists from PRIME TV, PRO TV, Unimedia, Canal Regional and Timpul.

Promoting and supporting journalists in various projects is an approach applied by the tobacco industry worldwide. Moldova is not an exception, given the fact, that Moldova is one of the poorest European countries and vulnerable before the giants that produce cigarettes. There are hundreds of examples, where tobacco industry has funded whole networks of journalists who shared its position and agreed to make propaganda in its favor. We do not assert that the purpose of JTI within European scholarships is the same, and that the journalists trained would have undertaken such obligations. Certainly, tobacco industry makes in such a way its image through a method prohibited by laws.

An elementary analysis of the mass-media in the Republic of Moldova in the field of addressing anti-smoking topics shows that most of them referred to the interests of the tobacco industry, more than in favor of measures of public health protection provided by the Tobacco Control Act. This makes you to think that tobacco producers’ interest is to promote their products in any form and at any price.