OCTOBER 19, 1998

Tobacco in Belgium

BELGIUM is planning to relax its attitude towards tobacco advertising.

BELGIUM is planning to relax its attitude towards tobacco advertising. In November 1997 the Belgian parliament voted through a law which was much stricter than that adopted by the European Union, which is headquartered in the Belgian capital Brussels. This nearly resulted in the cancellation of the Belgian Grand Prix.

Belgian Prime Minister Jean-Luc Dehaene told a local TV station over the weekend that it is illogical for the country to try to do more than the EU and that the law, due to come into force in January, should be relaxed to allow the country to host major international events. "We should not try to be more Catholic than the Pope," Dehaene said.