EU Totally Wicked's CJEU Court date set

[Maytwin]

Totally Wicked now have a date for their legal challenge to the TPD - 1 October 2015.

We can but hope .....

 

[Lemwise]

I actually think they have a good chance of winning. The EU courts have shown many times to be independent.

 

[ykalon]

Totally Wicked now have a date for their legal challenge to the TPD - 1 October 2015.

We can but hope .....

Hope AND sign

 

[WiSK]

Hope AND sign

I have been to that page before, but thought it is an English company and my Dutch signature would not be useful, so I didn't sign. Now I read it properly and did sign my name.

 

[Maytwin]

Well done WiSK - I think the petition is Europe-wide so the more signatures the better ! They are hoping for 50,000 by 29 September when it is handed over, and are (or were) just a couple of hundred short - hopefully it will make the 50,000.

 

[WiSK]

I would have expected, if all vapers understood the implications of the TPD, that actually millions might want to sign it. The TW webpage is a bit "too-long; didn't read". It seems more a commercial difficulty for that company. Even their poster doesn't mention Europe, it has a GBP sign.

If you see what happens in Spain now, suddenly it's game-over for vaping. If we don't want that to happen Europe-wide then we should pay better attention and support such legal actions.

 

[Maytwin]

You're right WiSK - unfortunately I think the majority of vapers don't belong to forums and really don't know what is going on - I know a friend of mine who vapes had no idea until I filled her in on it all !! The EFVI (European Free vaping Initiative) which ran last year was a good chance of actually doing something, but it fell well short of the 1,000,000 signatures needed, notwithstanding all the hard work the organisers put in to it. I also think there's an element of "it will never happen" but as you say, it's happening already, and to my mind that's an absolute tragedy.

 

[ykalon]

Even if it's a UK company filing the lawsuit, it's a EU law they are trying to stop, making it a EU resident issue. So of course anyone inside EU should sign now... Pronto!

This is by far the best (only?) chance we in europe have to stop this craziness aka TPD article 20...

 

[VaEHp]

Show your Global Vapers Support, Sign and Share ! Vapers, Vendors, Friends, Loved ones that support your choice to vape !

**Today is the last day to show your support on this !**

http://article20legalchallenge.com/

This is all anyone needs to do:

 

[Hattivatti]

The opinion will be given 17th of December.

 

[LaraC]

Opinion date was eventually moved to 23rd of December 2015, I think. Fingers crossed.

 

[pennysmalls]

I didn't know that, thanks for the heads up Lara!

 

[LaraC]

I don't actually know the procedures myself. Saw the date on Clive Bates' website:

Totally Wicked legal challenge to the Tobacco Products Directive e-cigarette measures « The counterfactual

"Next milestone: ... now 23rd December 2015 – Advocate General will issue her opinion. This is to inform the judges who will make the final decision."

So... that will just be the date for the Advocate General's opinion. Not the date for the final decision.

 

[WiSK]

Advocate General Gives Opinion in Totally Wicked Legal Challenge to Article 20 of the Tobacco Products Directive - Article 20 Tobacco Products Directive Legal Challenge

Not looking good. Advocate General Juliane Kokott thinks the special rules for e-cigarettes "are relatively moderate". She hasn't understood why the administrative burden is disproportionate for small vape companies compared to the large tobacco multinationals. It's called economies of scale and is a basic economic principle.

 

[Layzee Vaper]

Unfortunately I think the Advocate General does understand the economies of scale and also monopolies all too well. This round is about making sure the main players from Big Tobacco and Big Pharmacy get an advantage over the rest of the vendors. A few of the bigger E juice / E-cig manufacturers will also make it through and gain market share in the process. At the moment there is lots of choice where to buy, very difficult to get 1000's of vendors to toe the line. This is going to be a long drawn out process but in the end e-juice and e-cigs will end up being taxed as much as regular tobacco. These regulations are about making sure the right pieces are in place before play commences. Big business and big money call the shots. Some of the e-juice venders will make it through and increase profit margins in the process, in ten years time it will be big tobacco, big pharmacy and big e-juice.