MINUTES OF THE EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETING ON WEDNESDAY 24 SEPTEMBER 1997

Present:
	* M. Tubiana (President)
	* A. Hirsch (Secretary General)
	* AP-HP (A.M. Schoelcher)
	* CFES (D. Grizeau)
	* Comité National Contre le Tabagisme (G. Dubois, 
	     P. Mélihan-Cheinin, J. Tostain)
	* Fédération des Centres de Lutte Contre le Cancer et C.I.R.C.
	     (A. Sasco)
	* Ligue Nationale Contre le Cancer (D. Chassagne, P. Naves)
	* M.N.H. (Y. Lemaire)
	* Société de Tabacologie (R. Molimard)

Apologies:
	* Comité National contre les Maladies Respiratoires et
	     Tuberculose (F. Bonnaud)
	* Fédération Française de Cardiologie (D. Thomas)
	* Ligue contre la fumée du tabac en public - Le droit des non-fumeurs
	   (M.J. Girma)
	* Réseau des Centres de Sevrage Tabagique (G. Lagrue)

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I - Strategies in favor of the ban on direct
and indirect tobacco advertising
in the European Union


	* A. Hirsch presented the minutes of the Geneva meeting with 
representatives of the American Cancer Society (ACS), which took place 
at the UICC headquarters. Details were presented of the positions of 
Bill Clinton, the ACS and the UICC with regard to the proposed 
agreement with the tobacco industry (documents enclosed).
	Also discussed at the meeting were the means by which the American 
Cancer Society and the Europeans could work together in support of the 
directive.


	* P. Naves, who represented the Ligue Nationale Contre le Cancer in 
Madrid on September 17 and 18, presented the minutes of the meeting. 
Through the initiative of the French delegation, a decision was made 
to accept the American proposal: The European Leagues will devote 1 
million dollars to smoking prevention and the American Cancer Society 
will contribute 500,000 dollars to support actions in favor of the 
directive.

	* M. Tubiana recounted the informal discussions he had on this 
subject during the European Cancer congress in Hamburg the 16 and 17 
September with V. Diehl (Germany), A. Costa (Italy), J. Einhorn 
(Sweden), and J. Overgaard (Denmark), who agreed to the necessity for 
European oncologists to give support to the directive. An action 
committee should be set up in each country consisting of well known 
individuals capable of influencing public opinion, informing the 
medical community and speaking as equals to policy makers. Several 
names were mentioned: Einhorn in Sweden, H. Zur Hausen in Germany, J. 
Overgaard in Denmark, A. Gentil Martins in Portugal, Sir Walter Bodmer 
in the U.K. However, no names were suggested for Spain, Greece, nor 
Austria, countries who may be against the directive and whose 
positions could be a determining factor.
	All actions must be closely coordinated to be the most effective. A 
European liaison committee should be created. A. Hirsch, as President 
of the European Network for Smoking Prevention, is well placed to lead 
this action.


II - Strategy for smoking prevention in France

	* The first draft prepared by M. Tubiana was discussed:

	1) The final document should be ready before October 1 and sent to 
all the members of Parliament so as to have an impact during 
discussions on the budget.

	2) The document should clearly distinguish the aims and the means. 
The most important aims are: health education at school, tobacco price 
increases, especially for hand rolled tobacco, protection of 
non-smokers, and research. The principal means is financial support.

	M. Tubiana resumed the situation with regard to tobacco prices: an 
increase was proposed by the Ministère des Affaires Sociales et de la 
Santé, which was refused by Bercy. Matignon will now have to 
arbitrate. It was agreed that it is necessary to find out what the 
position of Matignon is.
	Bercy¹s arguments are as follows: 1) the fear that a price increase 
will encourage smuggling (argument often used, easily refuted), 2) the 
fear that a price war will break out. It is best to answer this 
argument with a technical memo. The aim is to favor taxes that are 
independent from prices. Taxes should be based on the quantity of 
tobacco rather than proportional to the price. 

	3) It is a priority that each action be budgeted individually.
	The budget was much discussed. It must be both large and realistic 
and must take into account the sums already requested (20 million 
francs for the CFES for campaigns targeting the general public and 
telephone help-lines). The budget should therefore be between 50 and 
100 million francs. The document will be distributed to the members of 
the board before being sent to the members of Parliament.

	Meeting of the Committee to write the memo to the parliamentarians on 
Monday, the 29th of September, at 3 p.m.


Meeting of the Executive Committee (other members will be invited)

Thursday, October 23, 1997 at 10 a.m. at the Centre Antoine Béclère

(Sibylle Feitmann, Coordinator of the European Network 
for Smoking Prevention, will be present)