Justyna SMOK-CHAJN’s lobbying activities on behalf of British American Tobacco involve extensive interaction with European Union institutions and UK government bodies. Data from EU transparency registers indicate that SMOK-CHAJN holds European Parliament accreditation for lobbying, active at least through 2024. BAT has invested heavily in lobbying EU officials, at times paying significantly more than publicly declared to various Brussels-based lobby groups and industry associations to promote tobacco-friendly policies.
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Participating in meetings with Members of the European Parliament (MEPs), European Commission officials, and UK policymakers actively shaping tobacco control rules. These interactions often focus on influencing legislation relating to tobacco excise harmonization, advertising restrictions, product regulation, and public health directives.
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Facilitating BAT’s engagement in “stakeholder dialogues” that provide selective access to influential policymakers and regulators under the pretext of corporate social responsibility, thereby shaping conversations to BAT’s advantage.
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Collaborating with other BAT lobbyists and external PR firms to set coordinated lobbying campaigns, including opposition to menthol and flavor bans, which are critical to BAT’s profitability, especially within the US and EU markets.
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Supporting BAT’s strategic initiatives like the “Omni” resource, which showcases BAT’s purported “science-led” approach to tobacco harm reduction at major forums such as the Global Tobacco and Nicotine Forum, while simultaneously lobbying against restrictions on smoke-free tobacco alternatives in emerging markets.
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Engaging with UK diplomats and other international stakeholders to promote BAT’s interests even in low- and middle-income countries, underscoring London’s role as BAT’s home base.
While specific meeting records for SMOK-CHAJN with particular politicians are not publicly detailed, BAT’s overall lobbying footprint—of which she is a recognized lobbyist—shows a pattern of intense interaction designed to influence EU tobacco directives and UK legislation. The outcomes include delays or watering down of certain tobacco control policies, and BAT’s ability to maintain product sales despite public health pressures.