The Tobacco Control Unit at the Catalan Institute of Oncology (ICO), together with research organisations, civil society groups and health journalists, hosted the webinar “Tobacco Industry Interference in Spain: Evidence, Challenges and Responses.” The session brought together national and international experts to examine how the tobacco industry continues to influence public health policymaking in Spain and what can be done to counter it.
Speakers included Cristina Martínez and Olena Tigova (ICO), Raquel Fernández (Nofumadores.org), Laurent Huber (Action on Smoking & Health), Francisco Lozano (Cancer Patients Europe) and Armando Peruga (Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute). The discussion was moderated by Javier Granda, a journalist from the Spanish National Association of Health Information Professionals (ANIS).
The panel offered an up-to-date and evidence-based overview of the issue, drawing on findings from the 2025 Tobacco Industry Interference Index. This international benchmark assesses how well governments are protected from tobacco industry influence, in line with Article 5.3 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.
For Spain, the index highlights notable gaps in institutional transparency, weak safeguards against conflicts of interest, and limited oversight of contacts between public officials and tobacco industry representatives.
The webinar also reviewed some of the most common interference tactics seen in recent years, including:
• Greenwashing, particularly through tobacco waste management initiatives designed to improve the industry’s public image and create opportunities for collaboration with public bodies.
• The use of illicit trade arguments to stall or weaken effective tobacco control measures.
• Infiltration into institutional processes — described by speakers as a “Trojan horse” approach that allows the industry to shape regulatory decisions from within.
Participants also discussed the continued blockage of plain packaging, one of the most effective measures to reduce the appeal of tobacco products among young people and a policy strongly recommended by international health organisations.
The session closed with a clear and shared message: Spain needs stronger protections to shield public policy from tobacco industry interference, decisive progress towards a robust new tobacco control law, and a firm commitment to prioritising public health — especially the health of children and adolescents — on the political agenda.
Speakers agreed that only through transparent, well-protected policies, free from commercial influence, will Spain be able to make meaningful progress in reducing the harm caused by tobacco use.