Lobbying against tobacco tax increases in France: arguments and strategies of the tobacco industry and tobacconists analysed through their trade press.

INTRODUCTION: Raising taxes is one of the most cost-effective measures to reduce tobacco use. France has a unique profile: it has high tobacco use prevalence and a state monopoly on tobacco sales for tobacconists who are both agents of the customs administration and a recognised tobacco industry (TI) front group. In this paper, we investigate the lobbying tactics and arguments against tobacco taxation mobilised by the TI and tobacconists in France. METHODS: We conducted a quantitative and qualitative analysis of the two leading French tobacco trade media outlets (La Revue des Tabacs and Le Losange) between 2000 and 2020. We performed a manual thematic content analysis based on existing conceptual models of TI political activity, including the policy dystopia model. RESULTS: Tobacconists actively lobbied against tobacco taxation, using traditional arguments highlighted in conceptual models (ie, the claim that 'taxation increases illicit trade and is ineffective'), but also France-centric arguments (ie, tobacconists denounced the impact of cross-border shopping and highlighted their role as pivotal to community life in rural areas). We also found lobbying strategies mirroring those identified previously (ie, coalition, information management and direct influence in public policy). CONCLUSIONS: Tobacconists in France hold a specific status that gives them privileged access to government bodies that can be exploited to successfully lobby against tobacco taxation. NGOs need to expose these lobbying activities and alert the public authorities to Article 5.3 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control that requires countries to protect policies from TI interests.

How the alcohol industry fought against pregnancy warning labels in France. A press coverage analysis spanning 20 years.

Background: Drinking alcohol while pregnant is dangerous for health. To inform on this issue, various countries have adopted pregnancy warning labels on alcoholic beverages, including France since 2007, where wine holds deep cultural consonance. The aim of this research was to analyze the arguments put forward by the alcohol industry (producers, distributors, wholesalers, allied industries, trade associations, social aspects and public relations organizations, councilors who publicly defend wine-sector interests) via the press in France: (1) in 2007 when pregnancy warnings were first implemented, and (2) in 2018 when larger pregnancy warnings to increase visibility were proposed but not adopted. Methods: We used documentary method to analyze the arguments advanced by the alcohol industry in mainstream (national, regional and specialized) press in France from 2000 to 2020, using the Europresse documentary database. Quantitative analysis (number and trend curve of articles, mapping alcohol-industry actors who spoke in the press) and inductive thematic content analysis (analytical framework of the arguments identified) using NVivo software were carried out. Results: We found a total of 559 relevant press articles in the database, of which 85 were included in the analysis. Peaks in number of publications were found to coincide with the warning label implementation and with the expansion-project schedule. A large majority of the arguments promoted by the alcohol industry contested the pregnancy warnings measure (very few were in favor). They argued that (1) pregnancy warnings were a questionable measure (e.g., ineffective, or the pictogram clearly links alcohol to mortality), (2) pregnancy warnings would have counterproductive effects (on women and the wider economy), (3) better alternatives exist (e.g., targeted prevention programs, prevention by health professionals). A large majority of the actors who spoke in the press came from the winegrowing sector. Conclusion: This study fills a gap in the Anglosphere research on lobbying against alcohol warnings by analyzing lobbyists' arguments over a 20-year period covering both failed and successful industry lobbying. New findings have emerged that are likely related to the wine-oriented culture of France. In order to counter the alcohol lobbying practices we conclude with a number of public health recommendations.

Analysis of How Lobbying by the Alcohol Industry Has Eroded the French Évin Law Since 1991.

OBJECTIVE: The French Évin Law was passed in 1991 to prohibit alcohol advertising in media from targeting young people and to regulate content in authorized media. This research analyzes how lobbying by the alcohol industry has undermined this law over the last 30 years. METHOD: A narrative approach, consisting of the collection and analysis of semistructured interviews with persons who recount their experience and offer interpretation, was used to analyze lobbying by the alcohol industry against the Évin Law from 1991 to 2020. We conducted 18 interviews with key French informants involved in implementing and/ or changing the Évin Law (including founders of the law) to identify strategies and arguments used by the alcohol industry. An established framework of corporate political activity specific to the alcohol industry was used to classify the findings. RESULTS: The industry tactics and arguments were found to be similar to those in other countries; however, some were specific to France, such as highlighting winegrowing as central to French culture and integrating the wine industry into decision-making bodies, alliances with parliamentarians, and circumventions of the law. These specific features may be explained by the age of the Évin Law (30 years) and the economic weight of alcohol and wine at the heart of French culture. CONCLUSIONS: The Évin Law has been continuously weakened since its initial implementation. This research analyzes the long-term lobbying strategies and arguments that have been used to erode it. The results are useful for other countries that have implemented alcohol marketing regulations to help anticipate tactics and arguments deployed by the alcohol industry to weaken marketing regulations.