Imperial Brands PLC

Imperial Brands PLC, a FTSE 100 tobacco and nicotine products company headquartered in the UK, engages in EU lobbying primarily through its Brussels office. Registered in the EU Transparency Register since 2011 (ID: 62460931291-40), it focuses on influencing tobacco regulation, excise policies, and public health legislation. Key targets include the Tobacco Products Directive (2014/40/EU), excise duty directives (2011/64/EC, 2008/118/EC), and anti-illicit trade measures. The firm advocates for “science-based” regulations, particularly seeking differentiated rules for e-cigarettes versus traditional tobacco2. Notably, in 2019, Imperial funded a European Citizens’ Initiative (“Let’s demand smarter vaping regulation”) via a €10,000 donation and PR support, aiming to revoke Article 20 of the Tobacco Products Directive. It collaborates with industry groups like Tobacco Europe (where it is a full member alongside BAT and JTI) and national tobacco associations across Europe. Recent scrutiny by the EU Ombudsman (2023) highlighted transparency concerns in the Commission’s interactions with tobacco lobbyists, including Imperial

Head office in	Total Lobby costs
United Kingdom1	$800,000 (US, 2021)

No related lobbyists found.

Lobbying focuses on:

Tobacco and vaping regulations
Excise taxation and customs
Anti-illicit trade enforcement
Intellectual property and CSR
Public health and “Better Regulation”

Affiliated organizations:

Tobacco Europe (core member; coordinates with national associations like UK’s TMA and Germany’s DZV).
PR partners: Instinctif Partners (ran the 2019 vaping campaign).
EU policy groups: Society of European Affairs Professionals (SEAP), European Policy Centre (EPC), British Chamber of Commerce in Belgium

Year	EU Expenditure	US Expenditure
2021	Not disclosed	$800,000
2019	€10,000 (vaping campaign)	N/A
(Note: Comprehensive EU annual lobbying costs are not publicly itemized.)

European Commission: Directorate-General for Taxation (DG TAXUD), Health (DG SANTE).
Legislative files: Tobacco Products Directive, excise duty reforms, illicit trade protocols

2019–2021: At least 9 documented meetings with Commission DGs, though only DG TAXUD proactively disclosed details.
2020–2021: EU Ombudsman identified undisclosed meetings across multiple Commission units