4 February 2021

A report published by the European Commission on 3 February 2021 proposes a range of nanny state interventions intended to reduce the consumption of alcohol, tobacco, e-cigarettes and ‘unhealthy food’ (European Commission 2021). Many of the ideas in the Commission’s Beating Cancer Plan, such as scientific collaboration on genomics and diagnostics, have great potential, but others are illiberal, ineffective and would have negative unintended consequences. Several of them go far beyond the EU’s remit.

The Commission is proposing paternalistic interventions in all four of the areas covered by the Epicenter Nanny State Index. This short briefing paper discusses each of them.