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Commission officials are also required to restrict contacts with the tobacco industry strictly to what is necessary for regulatory purposes, under a May 2025 decision reinforcing the application of the UN’s global tobacco control treaty (UNFCTC).
Nikolaj Nielsen
An industry lawyer who has represented Philip Morris International (PMI) gained access to the highest echelons of the European Commission’s legal services at a time when the institution is set to redraft EU-wide tobacco rules.
An annual conference by the commission legal services held April last year does not disclose the names of its 1,347 participants.
But EUobserver can reveal, following a document access request, that Michel Petite of the Paris-based Clifford Chance law firm attended the 2025 conference as a VIP.
“As a former Director General of the Commission’s legal service, I expect they will regularly invite me at this annual event,” said Petite, in an email.
He also attended this year’s event but online.
Aside from representing PMI, Petite had also headed the commission’s legal services and had reportedly used his former position to advance tobacco industry access in the past.
While it is plausible that his invitation was extended given his past employment with the institution, it also affords him privileged access to lobby on behalf of Clifford Chance clients.
