The Moldovan authorities pledged to adopt legislation on tobacco control, according to the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, to which Moldova signed up on May 4, 2009. Under the treaty, May 5 was the last deadline for implementing all the provisions and arrangements, but Parliament hasn’t yet adopted the package of laws put forward by the Government.

In a news conference at IPN, program coordinator of the Center for Health Polices and Analyses Ghenadie Turcanu said the Government kept its word and submitted the package of laws on tobacco control to Parliament for adoption on February 5, but it wasn’t yet subject to the vote in the legislative body.

“The representatives of the tobacco industry aim to delay the adoption of this package of laws. The tobacco industry wants to make profit by increasing the number of smokers. We want to remind the authorities that the reduction in the number of smokers is also envisioned in the Association Agreement with the EU, which clearly says that this objective must be promptly achieved,” said Ghenadie Turcanu.

Secretary general of the NGO Council Antonita Fonari said that Vladimir Hotineanu, who heads the parliamentary commission on social protection, health and family, wants to protect the entrepreneurs and producers of cigarettes, instead of protecting people’s health. “He does not speak about how smoking affects children. The children aged 13 can buy cigarettes everywhere. We proved this. For him, the fact that the employees working in places where smoking is allowed are exposed to the danger of getting ill does not count. We seek ordinary things that the authorities promised to do long ago,” she stated.

Antonita Fonari added that the authorities do not harry to adopt the legislation on tobacco control because they accept presents from those working in the tobacco industry and an investigation can reveal how many lawmakers have tobacco businesses.