JTI has issued a statement urging the National Assembly of Armenia “to listen to the concerns of Armenian public” and “focus government resources on issues that really matter, instead of implementing a policy that is known to have failed elsewhere”.

JTI represents Winston, Camel, Sobranie, LD, Monte Carlo and Donskoy Tabak trademarks in Armenian market.

The company’s statement reads:

“As the Parliament is about to push through regulation that will mandate so-called ‘plain’ packaging for tobacco, a new survey commissioned by JTI and conducted by leading independent opinion research company MPG LLC reveals that the majority of Armenians doubt the effectiveness of the policy – 69% believe that it won’t persuade adult smokers to give up the habit. The poll results also show that many other, pressing policy issues are viewed as more important by the public.

When asked to rank policies that should be prioritized based on their importance, plain packaging comes last (only 20% of respondents consider it ‘very important’). The most critical priorities for Armenians score twice the level of importance: removing corruption from the health system is seen as the no 1 priority (almost all respondents – 96% – score this as important), while better enforcement of existing regulations to ensure children don’t have access to tobacco is second in line with 93% of respondents stating it is important, and the introduction of education and advertising towards youth about the risks of smoking is viewed important by 88%.

“Plain packaging is a ban on branding. It requires the removal of colors, imagery, logos and trademarks on packs, with the brand name in uniform small print and the same background color for all brands,” says Konstantin Fedorov, JTI’s General Manager for Belarus and Caucasus.

“The survey shows that the policy is being rushed through when the vast majority of Armenians (90%) don’t even know what plain packaging is. This is worrying. However, it also demonstrates that once it has been properly explained to them, 69% think that this ban on branding won’t persuade smokers to quit,” he adds.

The survey reveals that 60% of Armenians think it is likely that plain packaging would make it easier for counterfeiters to fake cigarette packaging and increase the amount of illegal cigarettes sold in Armenia. Despite this not being a major issue in the country, it is an important one for the broader Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU).

In recent years, Armenia has managed to positively shape its image in the international landscape as a country that respects the rule of law, protects international investments and shares principles of better regulation as recommended by the OECD. The plain packaging proposal goes against these efforts.

It also contradicts Armenia’s agreements with the EAEU and contradicts the key principles set forth by articles 51, 52 and 53 of the Eurasian Economic Union Treaty, which are mandatory to implement by all EAEU member states. To respect this agreement, the provisions proposed for tobacco products, which belong to the area of technical regulations (including those related to packaging and labeling) should be removed from the draft and escalated to the EAEU.

It is important to note that in Australia, where plain packaging was introduced seven years ago, the experiment has failed: the long-term decline is smoking rates has actually come to a halt. The picture is similar in France and the UK. Data published by the French public authorities and quoted by the French Health Minister shows plain packaging has not had any discernible effect on tobacco sales. This is also consistent with the latest expert analysis, which indicates that following the implementation of plain packaging, there has been no discernible impact on tobacco consumption in France or the UK.

“The Armenian public has spoken. We call Parliament to listen to their concerns and focus government resources on issues that really matter, instead of implementing a policy that is known to have failed elsewhere,” concludes Konstantin Fedorov. ”