Swedish Socialists in the European Parliament have demanded that MEPs not travel to Strasbourg while French law levies potential five year prison terms for anyone found in possession of nicotine pouches. The French plan was first reported by Clearing the Air.
A letter proposing the travel pause – seen by Clearing the Air and published here – was sent by all five Swedish members of the Parliament’s Socialist Group to European Parliament President Roberta Metsola.
“The prospect of Swedish citizens being deprived of liberty or punished with a hefty fine while visiting France, solely for possessing or using nicotine pouches, is plainly absurd and wholly unacceptable”, the letter says, “particularly given that these products are widely regarded as less harmful alternatives to smoking”.
“If France proceeds with the ban accompanied by such severe and disproportionate penalties, we call on you to…request that the Strasbourg part-sessions be suspended until proportionality is restored in France and EU citizens can travel there without the risk of punitive measures for using a nicotine product that is lawful in their home Member State” the letter continues.
Why Strasbourg in the first place?
The European Parliament is based in Brussels, but its members must travel to Strasbourg once per month to vote, in what is widely considered a pointless and wasteful exercise that was enshrined in the EU’s Treaties at the insistence of France, which has resisted all attempts to end it.
The move involves 750 MEPs, ~3,000 staff, lobbyists, and officials relocating for four days every month. Around 100 full-time staff maintain the Strasbourg building even when it sits empty.
The annual bill for the monthly migration is estimated at €114–180 million per year, depending on the methodology. The European Court of Auditors (2014) put the figure at €113.8m annually in ongoing costs, plus a one-off saving of €616m if Strasbourg’s buildings were divested. Over a parliamentary term (5 years), that’s roughly €570m–€900m in operational cost alone.
European Parliament staffers using pouches, who spoke to Clearing the Air on condition of anonymity, were concerned about the possible implications of the French law. “It’s absurd that we could face five years in jail just for living our normal lives and doing our job”, one said.
Europe’s tobacco review under fire
In a separate letter – also seen by Clearing the Air and published here – the delegation has written to EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen about the ban and its wider implications for Brussels upcoming review of tobacco product laws. The Commissioner in charge of the review – Oliver Varheyli – has been widely criticised for falsely stating that new nicotine products like pouches have the same risks as cigarettes.
“Many Swedish adults have transitioned from cigarettes to tobacco free nicotine products, including nicotine pouches, thereby significantly reducing exposure to the harmful effects of smoking”, the letter argues.
If any proposed changes to the Directive concern nicotine pouches, the group ask Von der Leyen “what safeguards does [the Commission] envisage to ensure science-based policymaking?”. Firing the Health Commissioner might be a good start.
