2008/264/EC: Commission Decision of 25 March 2008 on the fire safety requirements to be met by European standards for cigarettes pursuant to Directive 2001/95/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (Text with EEA relevance)

The purpose of this Decision is to establish the requirement on the basis of which the Commission may request the relevant standardisation bodies to establish the relevant standard for reducing the ignition propensity of cigarettes. The ignition propensity of cigarettes shall be reduced in order to minimise fires with ensuing fatalities, injuries and material damage.

For the purposes of this Decision a cigarette with reduced ignition propensity means a cigarette that self-extinguishes when not actively puffed, before it has burnt through its full length.

For the purpose of Article 4 of Directive 2001/95/EC, the safety requirement shall be the following: no more than 25 % of a batch of cigarette specimens to be tested shall burn through their whole length.