Imperial Brands calls for transparency in EU tobacco and nicotine consultation

12 October 2026

Imperial Brands is calling for greater transparency from the European Commission after the published summary of its tobacco and nicotine consultation failed to reflect key evidence submitted by the company.

Imperial cited 30 official statements from the Commission and Commission sources on the measures under consultation. That evidence is not reflected in the Commission’s factual summary.

Jesus Olivares-Guerrero, EU Corporate Affairs Manager, said: “The Commission asked for evidence. We provided it – including evidence in its own words. Under EUDPR rules, a published account should accurately reflect the responses submitted”.

In August, Rapporteur reported a timetable indicating that the Commission may have had only two to three weeks to assess consultation responses before the file was expected to reach the Regulatory Scrutiny Board. Imperial is asking the Commission to confirm the timetable and clarify how the evidence submitted was assessed.

“Citizens, organisations and businesses contributed their time and expertise to this consultation. If tens of thousands of responses were assessed over a period of  just two to three weeks, there are legitimate questions for the Commission”, he concluded.