Experts proposed to refine WHO's ideas on tobacco control in the CIS

Parliamentarians of the CIS countries and representatives of international organizations discussed the prospects for the development of model laws at the Interparliamentary Assembly of the CIS (IPA CIS) in St. Petersburg. One of the key events was the session on the draft CIS model law "On Protecting citizens' health from exposure to tobacco smoke and the consequences of consumption of tobacco and other nicotine-containing products", developed by the WHO Regional Office for Europe (WHO Europe).

Hans Kluge, Head of WHO Europe, speaking in his opening remarks, noted that the draft model law on tobacco smoking was developed by the organization at the request of the IPA CIS. "The Model Law is not binding. It gives each state the freedom to act, but it also offers a clear and common standard for those who are ready to act decisively," said the head of the organization's European bureau.

As previously reported, according to sources involved in the development of the model law, WHO Europe has received a number of comments on the content of the document on the dangers of tobacco smoking. They were expressed by parliamentarians and delegations of the countries during the meetings of the IPA CIS Commission on Social Policy and Human Rights and three expert councils. However, a significant part of them remained unaccounted for.

Commenting on the comments submitted earlier by the CIS parliaments, Evgenia Vladimirova, adviser to the Model Lawmaking Department of the Expert and Analytical Department of the IPA CIS Council secretariat, said that the commission "does not discount them." According to her, they will be taken into account in the revised version of the text, which will then be sent to the parliaments of the CIS countries for feedback.

Following the meeting, it was decided to finalize the document at the site of the IPA CIS Commission on Social Policy and Human Rights. The first meeting of the working group created for these purposes is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2025, and work on the document will continue in 2026.

According to Artyom Kiryanov, Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Economic Policy, the proposed version of the document retains many flaws of a legal and technical nature. In addition, according to the expert, it uses a controversial terminology, and most importantly, it essentially duplicates the provisions of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC).

"I have been following the trajectory of this document for quite a long time, comments were previously submitted to the IPA CIS secretariat, which were supported by representatives of the legal community and industry experts," Kiryanov said. He suggested using "this potential" as part of the further development of the document and involving experts from the State Duma Committee on Economic Policy in the work of the newly formed working group for a comprehensive review of comments and suggestions.

"Taking into account the existing legislative framework at the national level and the established regulatory practice is the cornerstone of the development of any supranational documents similar to the CIS model laws," said Alexander Arsky, Associate Professor at the Department of International Trade and Foreign Trade of the Russian Federation, the All—Russian Academy of Foreign Trade under the Ministry of Economic Development. Given that all CIS countries are parties to the WHO FCTC, on the basis of which the draft law is being developed, it would be logical to change its format to the "recommendations of the IPA CIS," the expert believes.

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