Last month, Ireland became the first European country to agree a ban on all branding on cigarette packs in favor of plain packaging and uniform labeling, following the example of Australia.
While the EU proposals stop short of a full ban on branding, ministers agreed that countries such as Ireland should be free to impose plain packaging if they choose.
The proposals must also get the approval of the European Parliament before becoming law, and the lawmaker leading the debate in the assembly has called for a total ban on branding.
Friday's agreement means the rules could be finalized before the start of European Parliament elections next May, allowing them to enter force in 2016.
The draft rules have been in development for more than two years and were the focus of intense lobbying by the tobacco industry.
They played a part in the October resignation of former EU Health Commissioner John Dalli, after one of his associates was accused of seeking bribes from Swedish Match, a producer of moist oral-snuff known as "snus", in return for lifting a sales ban on the product outside Sweden.
Under the agreement, the sale of snus would remain illegal across the EU except in Sweden. But a proposal that would have forced snus producers to reformulate their products to remove distinctive flavorings was dropped.
As concerns grow over the unregulated use of increasingly popular electronic cigarettes, ministers tightened proposed controls by agreeing that those containing 1 milligram (mg) of nicotine or more would be classified as medicinal products requiring prior EU marketing approval.
That also applied to e-cigarettes containing 2 mg or more per milliliter for those that mix nicotine with water.
While the EU proposals stop short of a full ban on branding, ministers agreed that countries such as Ireland should be free to impose plain packaging if they choose.
The proposals must also get the approval of the European Parliament before becoming law, and the lawmaker leading the debate in the assembly has called for a total ban on branding.
Friday's agreement means the rules could be finalized before the start of European Parliament elections next May, allowing them to enter force in 2016.
The draft rules have been in development for more than two years and were the focus of intense lobbying by the tobacco industry.
They played a part in the October resignation of former EU Health Commissioner John Dalli, after one of his associates was accused of seeking bribes from Swedish Match, a producer of moist oral-snuff known as "snus", in return for lifting a sales ban on the product outside Sweden.
Under the agreement, the sale of snus would remain illegal across the EU except in Sweden. But a proposal that would have forced snus producers to reformulate their products to remove distinctive flavorings was dropped.
As concerns grow over the unregulated use of increasingly popular electronic cigarettes, ministers tightened proposed controls by agreeing that those containing 1 milligram (mg) of nicotine or more would be classified as medicinal products requiring prior EU marketing approval.
That also applied to e-cigarettes containing 2 mg or more per milliliter for those that mix nicotine with water.
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