Health or the economy? A dangerous dichotomy

During the first of two briefings on Covid-19 in his state, New York governor Andrew Cuomo stated: “If it is public health or the …

To Ban or Not to Ban

A ban on opening a new supermarket is evidence that people want a new supermarket, for if they did not there would be no …

Norwegian sugar tax sends sweet-lovers over border to Sweden

It seems unfair to call it a sweet shop. In the shopping centre north of Charlottenberg in south-western Sweden, barely four miles from Norway …

The Spanish nanny state takes a step back

As stated in the latest edition of EPICENTER’s Nanny State Index, Spain is one of the freer countries in the EU, coming 6th out …

A European sugar tax: paternalistic, counterproductive, and regressive

A consumer organisation called foodwatch recently demanded that the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the EU put an end to its partnership …

Governmental non-government organisations in the EU

In an IEA report published in 2013, I showed that large sums of taxpayers’ money are given to political pressure groups by the European …

Still Hand in Glove?

Following on from research published by the IEA between 2012 and 2014, this discussion paper revisits the issue of state-funded activism in the UK …

Drug decriminalization: The Iberian Peninsula

Given its prominent geographical location, the Iberian Peninsula has been, for decades, one of the biggest hubs in the world for cartels smuggling cocaine …

Banning single-use plastics is a typical example of good intentions triumphing over sound judgement

The author is the former European Commissioner for Internal Market and Services.
With the Commission and Parliament both starting their last legislative year, one …

The Price Women Pay

Political classes on both sides of the Channel were waiting patiently for the end of the EU Parliament’s recess, and for Brexit negotiations to …

Flawed EU regulations on e-cigarettes have set the market back

I ordered 200 millilitres of e-cigarette fluid from my online retailer this week. Not a large quantity – it is barely a third of …

Of course sin taxes are regressive

There should be no debate about whether taxes on food, alcohol, tobacco and soft drinks (‘sin taxes’) are regressive. It can be easily demonstrated …

The Potential for the Italian Cannabis Market

Prior to the criminalisation of cannabis, the crop represented a significant facet of the Italian economy. In fact, in the 1940s, Italy was said …

Nanny State Index – Nicotine Supplement

Our new league table of nanny state regulation shows that punitive taxation and excessive regulation of safer nicotine alternatives has increased across the EU. …

Sugar taxes have never worked anywhere

‘You can’t just point at things and tax them,’ said the singer Myleene Klass to Ed Miliband in a TV debate about the ‘mansion …

Sweden and its inconsistent alcohol laws

On 29 June, EPICENTER’s Swedish partner, Timbro, published a report examining alcohol laws in Sweden. Within the Swedish political arena, alcohol consumption has always …

Nanny State Index

The EPICENTER Nanny State Index is the only comprehensive league table of lifestyle regulations. The latest data suggest that the EU is becoming a …

Nanny State Index Conference 2017

10th May 2017
The Nanny State Index (NSI) is a league table of the worst places in the European Union to eat, drink, smoke and …

Obesity and the Public Purse

This is the first study to estimate the annual savings that overweight and obese people bring UK taxpayers by dying prematurely (in 2016 prices). …

Personal Pensions in the European Union

The development of personal pensions at the national and cross-border levels is hindered by high compulsory payments to public pension funds, restrictions on the …

Innovation in harm reduction

18 October, 2016
Permissionless Innovation
 
Scientific research has made important breakthroughs in harm reduction in recent years. In the field of alcohol consumption, …

Innovation in Food Labelling

18 October, 2016
 
Geographical Indications
 
According the European Commission, a Geographical Indication (GI) is “a distinctive sign used to identify a product …

An early Christmas present for Scottish drinkers: ECJ rules against minimum alcohol pricing

Christopher Snowdon // 23.12.2015
The European Court of Justice has today ruled that minimum pricing for alcohol is illegal if less restrictive measures, such …

Social mobility in the UK

 
Christopher Snowdon, October 2015
 
In October 2015, David Cameron said: “Britain has the lowest social mobility in the developed world.” No such …

E-cigarettes and Article 20 of the Tobacco Products Directive

15 September 2015
 
From 2016, e-cigarettes will face additional regulation under Article 20 of the EU’s Tobacco Products Directive (TPD). Given that non-smokers …

The European Union and lifestyle freedoms

Christopher Snowdon, October 2014
 
Dealing with public health challenges requires some degree of government action to protect the population from contagious diseases and …

Nutrition taxes: a broken tool in public health policy

 
Frédéric Sautet, Institut Economique Molinari, October 2014
 
It is vital to understand that the impact of nutrition taxes on the consumption of …

Aggressively regressive – the ‘sin taxes’ that make the poor poorer

 
Christopher Snowdon, IEA, October 2013
 
Despite significantly lower rates of alcohol consumption and car ownership, the poorest income group in the UK …

The proof of the pudding: Denmark’s fat tax fiasco

 
Christopher Snowdon, IEA, May 2013
 
Denmark’s fat tax remains the leading example of an ambitious anti-obesity policy being tested in the real …

Work longer, live healthier: The relationship between economic activity, health, and government policy

 
Gabriel H. Sahlgren, IEA , May 2013
 
Higher state pension ages are not only possible (given longer life expectancy) and desirable (given …