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Christa PELSERS

Christa PELSERS

Christa Pelsers is a senior lobbyist associated with British American Tobacco (BAT), operating primarily within the European Union institutions based in Brussels, Belgium. She has been active in BAT’s public affairs and government relations since at least 2008 and is recognized for her expertise in EU excise legislation, customs, and international trade. Pelsers serves as the Chair of the Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Industry Working Group within Tobacco Europe, the umbrella association representing BAT and other major tobacco and nicotine product manufacturers in Europe. Her role involves engaging with EU policymakers to advocate for regulatory frameworks that align with the tobacco industry’s business interests, focusing on innovation, reasonable legislation, and ensuring the industry’s legitimate participation in policymaking. BAT promotes a public narrative centered on transitioning smokers to smokeless alternatives and positioning itself as a leader in harm reduction through innovation in tobacco and nicotine products. Her lobbying ties are formally registered in the EU Transparency Register, evidencing her official engagement with EU institutions

Christa Pelsers, through British American Tobacco and Tobacco Europe, lobbies extensively for UK-based BAT’s interests at the EU level. Despite Britain’s exit from the EU, the UK remains a vital market and regulatory reference point for BAT, which is headquartered in London. Pelsers’ lobbying aims to shape EU tobacco, excise, customs, and trade policies in a manner that benefits BAT’s global and regional business strategies, including the UK market.

The lobbying seeks to promote BAT’s strategic shift from combustible cigarettes to smokeless alternative products, framing it as a contribution to public health improvement by providing less harmful choices for adult consumers. Pelsers and her groups emphasize the creation of balanced, science-based regulatory frameworks that facilitate innovation and market access for these new products while protecting adult consumer choice and preventing access by minors.

Pelsers’ activities aim to ensure BAT’s inclusion as a legitimate stakeholder in EU regulatory debates, opposing overly restrictive or ill-considered legislation that could stifle product innovation or push consumers towards illicit markets. Through her leadership in Tobacco Europe’s ESG Industry Working Group, she advocates for policies that support “environmental, social and governance” goals aligned with BAT’s corporate responsibility narratives. This dimension helps BAT to cultivate a socially responsible image and advance sustainability agendas that can smooth regulatory engagements across jurisdictions, including the UK.

Additionally, Pelsers’ lobbying involves navigating compliance with the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) Article 5.3, which mandates transparency and accountability in interactions with policymakers to avoid undue tobacco industry influence over public health policies. Pelsers promotes a narrative that respects these guidelines while ensuring industry perspectives are included in regulations that impact BAT’s business in the UK and EU

Christa Pelsers has been involved in numerous lobbying activities aimed at influencing EU policymakers across multiple dossiers relevant to tobacco and nicotine regulation, taxation, customs, and broader trade and environmental matters. As an experienced lobbyist with EP accreditation since at least 2013, she regularly attends meetings with European Parliament members, the European Commission, and other key regulatory stakeholders.

She chairs Tobacco Europe’s ESG Industry Working Group, which deals with integrating sustainability and governance issues within the tobacco sector, suggesting active engagement with committees and stakeholders focused on environmental and social regulations. Although detailed lists of every meeting are not publicly disclosed, Pelsers’ role includes coordinating with tax authorities and policymakers on excise duties impacting tobacco products—central to British American Tobacco’s market strategies—especially as Brussels debates tobacco tax reforms.

Her presence is noted in debates over the EU tobacco tax plan, where she has argued for the essential nature of calibrating the legislation to support industry’s transition to smokeless products, highlighting the risk of poorly designed laws encouraging illicit trade and harming adult consumer choice. This advocacy aligns with observed developments in the EU tobacco directive revisions and nicotine products regulation, where BAT and its lobbyists have influenced softer regulatory stances.

Her lobbying has reportedly influenced tax-related consultations and discussions within EU institutions, affecting how excise policies are structured to accommodate BAT’s strategic interests across member states and by extension the UK market. Engagement also includes representation in broader trade and customs dialogues relevant to BAT’s supply chains.

While specific meetings with politicians are often confidential, her long tenure, repeated EP accreditation, and chairing of influential working groups within Tobacco Europe demonstrate she is a key figure in the tobacco lobby network, frequently engaging with senior EU officials and member state representatives to advance BAT’s regulatory and market objective

Public contact details for Christa Pelsers specifically are not comprehensively published. However, relevant contact and connection points include:

  • British American Tobacco EU lobby profile (registered in EU Transparency Register)

  • Tobacco Europe Secretariat

  • LinkedIn profile: Christa Pelsers – Public Affairs – Expertise in EU Excise Legislation (found but without public phone or email)

  • BAT general contact via corporate websites and EU Transparency Register portal

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