“The political bloc ACUM condemns the tobacco industry’s attempts to increase children’s and adolescents’ access to tobacco products through former MP of the European People’s Party of Moldova (EPPM) Simion Grishchuk. According to MP Dan Perciune, Simion Grishchuk submitted an application to the Constitutional Court, asking to abrogate the legal provisions that ban the sale of tobacco products by retail outlets with an area smaller than 20 square meters near education and medical institutions. These provisions took effect on January 1, 2019. The MPs of the bloc ACUM call on Simion Grishchuk to withdraw his application, IPN reports.
“We consider Mister Grishchuk’s attempts to have these provisions abrogated is very serious. He evidently promotes the interests of the tobacco industry. This is not the first time that he tries to undermine provisions of the law on tobacco control,” stated Dan Perciune. He noted that Simion Grishchuk filed one more application to the Constitutional Court in July 2018 whereby he asked to extend the period during which tobacco producers could sell packs of cigarettes without explicitly indicated health warnings. “The application was then rejected as inadmissible, but the current application can be accepted,” noted the MP of the PAS, bloc ACUM.
ACUM calls upon Simion Grishchuk to withdraw his application by April 8, when this is to be examined. The MPs also addressed the president of the European People’s Party of Moldova Iurie Leancă and the chairman of the Tobacco Control Coordination Council, asking that the Council should pronounce on the application filed by Simion Grishchuk. The ACUM MPs also called on acting mayor of Chisinau municipality Ruslan Codreanu, who is also a member of the EPPM, to implement the law and fine the owners of kiosks that sell tobacco products. The MPs quoted statistics, saying 22% of the young people who buy cigarettes purchase these from kiosks.
Asked by IPN to comment, Simion Grishchuk said the statements made by the MPs of ACUM are aberrant. The ex-MP noted he will not withdraw his application as he submitted it to find out the Constitutional Court’s position because, when the law was voted, he had objections to the challenged paragraph (art. 25, par.6 of the law on tobacco control). The MPs of ACUM spoke only about Chisinau, but in small villages all the retail outlets are smaller than 20 square meters and, if this provision is implemented, 30-40% of the sales will be cut and the business entities will sustain huge losses.
