[By NBC-1TV H. J Yook]Philip Morris International Inc.’s (PMI) (NYSE/ Paris Euronext: PM) EU Region President Drago Azinovic made the following comment regarding the adoption by the Council of the European Union of the Tobacco Products Directive (TPD):

“The Tobacco Products Directive adopted by the Council of the European Union today represents a worrying departure from the EU’s basic standards of proportionate, evidenced-based policymaking, which will further erode intellectual property rights and undermine the EU Charter where these rights are protected.”

“Instead of further harmonizing the internal market, a stated objective of the Directive, measures in the TPD will do little to improve public health and will make the EU less competitive, pushing even more consumers to the unregulated black market in tobacco. This will be a blow to the hundreds of thousands of people working in the legal industry and member state governments now faced with filling budget gaps.”