愛爾蘭政府將推出控煙新舉措，所有香煙產品將使用統一標志和樸素包裝，凡是在愛爾蘭銷售的香煙產品，其包裝上均不得出現商標和品牌標志。愛爾蘭也將由此成為歐盟首個禁止香煙包裝上出現品牌標志的國家。因已獲得政府支持，該法案在議會通過已無懸念。統一包裝后，香煙品牌名字將以統一字體出現。2004年愛爾蘭在所有室內公共場所實行禁煙，在此之前，吸煙一直是愛爾蘭酒吧文化的重要組成部分，愛爾蘭每年有5200人死于跟香煙有關的疾病。英國政府也曾在本月早些時候考慮禁止在香煙包裝上出現品牌標志，不過在提交立法討論時被移除。澳大利亞去年推出統一的橄欖綠香煙包裝，引起很多煙草公司的抗議，雪茄生產大國古巴還為此向世界貿易組織提出抗議。

An example of the front (left) and back (right) of plain pack cigarettes

Ireland is to become the first country in the European Union to ban branding on cigarette packages by using plain packaging and uniform labeling.

All trademarks, logos, colors and graphics will be removed from tobacco products sold in Ireland under the new rules, the health ministry said, after the proposal secured backing from the government.

Dr James Reilly, the country’s health minister, said while many arguments will be made against the move, he is confident the legislation will be justified and supported purely by the fact that it will save lives.

“Smoking places an enormous burden of illness and mortality on our society, with over 5,200 people dying every year from tobacco-related diseases,” he said.

“One in two of all smokers will die from their addiction.

“To replace the smokers who quit, the tobacco industry needs to recruit 50 new smokers in Ireland every day just to maintain smoking rates at their current level.”

Dr Reilly also admitted that his father and brother, both doctors, died from smoking-related illness.

“I lost a brother who was a doctor, who understood fully what the cigarettes did, who was so addicted he couldn’t give them up,” he said. “And my father was prematurely blind because of a stroke and spent the last 14 years of his life without being able to see.”

Smoking was a central part of Ireland’s pub culture until the country became the first in the world to ban smoking in all enclosed public places, public transport and workplaces in 2004.

The law will need to be approved in parliament before it can come into effect, but the governing coalition enjoys a strong majority.

Under the plan, the brand name will be presented in a uniform typeface in packs of one plain neutral color, which has yet to be specified.

The British Government is considering banning branding on cigarette packets, but the proposal was omitted from the Government’s legislative agenda laid out in parliament earlier this month.

Australia introduced plain olive green packets for cigarettes and tobacco products last year, prompting anger from tobacco firms.

Cuba, whose luxury cigars are world renowned and feature distinctive packages, has launched a challenge against the Australian law at the World Trade Organization.

(Source: Telegraph.co.uk)

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（中國日報網英語點津 Helen ）