Paul Varakas, ECMA
Host Thomas Schmid interviews Paul Varakas, Director-General of ECMA, the Brussels-based trade association representing over 30 European cigar and cigarillo manufacturers, most of them family-owned MSEs. Paul argues that cigars are artisanal, occasionally consumed products — primarily by adults over 35 — and should not face the same regulations as cigarettes. He pushes back against one-size-fits-all tobacco policies, citing Eurobarometer data showing negligible youth consumption. He welcomes the European Parliament’s recent rejection of a Commission proposal to raise cigar taxes by up to 1,000%, and encourages listeners to submit evidence to the EU’s ongoing tobacco regulation consultation at ecma.eu.