Tiny island that's ready to stop Europe in its tracks

In the decade since they voted to join the European Union the islanders of the Aland archipelago in the Baltic Sea have been outvoted and overruled by Brussels, time and again.

Now Aland, a unique, autonomous region of Finland, is about to teach Brussels a lesson in democracy it may never forget.

Thanks to a quirk of early 20th-century history, Aland's 26,000 people are essentially sovereign co-rulers of their home nation of Finland. As such, they can veto any international treaty that Finland wants to enter, including EU treaties.

But last week the archipelago's head of EU affairs, Britt Lundberg, travelled to Brussels - a day-long trek - to deliver a warning that dismally low public opinion on Europe could mean Alanders prevent Finland from ratifying the constitution.

The islanders' revolt has been brewing for some time. First, this community of Swedish-speaking Finns lost the right to fish at sea with traditional nets.

Then Alanders saw their beloved spring duck hunting virtually abolished. To the Alanders' final outrage, local laws on consuming "snus" or Swedish chewing tobacco, are about to be quashed by the European Court of Justice.

Finland, which takes over the rotating EU presidency later this year, is committed to reviving the constitution after No votes in France and Holland last year.

Parliament in Helsinki is poised to adopt a positive "position" on the treaty, as part of a plan co-ordinated with powers that include Germany and Austria.

Brussels is trapped in a "Catch 22" situation of the EU's own making. Snus, a form of chewing tobacco, has been outlawed by EU fiat in every nation except Sweden, which secured a -special opt-out as a condition of its joining the EU, and in every region - except Aland.

The Commission recently took Finland to court to quash Aland's snus law. But Finland has no power to change that law. Finland does not control laws covering health in Aland; Aland does.

Aland is not allowed to defend its law before the justices in Luxembourg because the court recognises only nations. So the court is set to convict and fine Aland, without allowing the island's government to plead its case.

Mrs Lundberg said: "Every Alander is very, very upset. It's the principle of the thing that we can be judged, made to pay a fine, but have no chance to tell the court in Luxembourg why we made our law, and that we have the sole right to make this law."

The head of the Aland government, Roger Norlund, admitted that he did not even like snus. To him, the row is philosophical. "Aland finds small-scale solutions to its problems. But the EU model is one of large-scale solutions, and harmonisation."

Tomas Grunér, a navigator on the big boats, uses snus "24 hours a day". "It keeps me relaxed," he said. "I thought the EU was a good idea, but now I think it sucks."

Summary - Swedish Snus

Swedish Snus is a moist to semi-moist, ground, oral tobacco product which is used behind the upper lip. Swedish Snus exists in two packaging formats, loose Snus and portion packed Snus. Both forms exist in different flavour varieties. Swedish Snus is made from selected, mainly air-cured tobaccos, water, salt and flavour additives. Swedish Snus is pasteurised in a proprietary heat treatment process which satisfies the Swedish food requirements.
Swedish Snus has a 150 year tradition in Sweden.

1.What is Swedish snus?

Swedish snus is a ground tobacco product dating from the late 1700s. Even at that time, Swedish snus, which is used orally, was distinctive from the nasal snuff products used in many other countries.

Swedish snus contains three main ingredients: selected tobaccos, water and salt. Flavor additives are also used. It is moist for easy use.

Swedish snus is heat-treated in a process closely related to pasteurization. This process ensures that microorganisms are neutralized, and that the snus stays fresh longer.

In Sweden, snus is regulated as a food product. Sanitation requirements in Swedish snus factories are the same as those used in food production. All additives are approved as food additives.

2.What makes Swedish snus special?

Raw material selection
We set tough standards for the tobacco used in our snus. The tobacco undergoes several stages of rigorous analysis to ensure that it meets standards.

Production
The manufacture of Swedish snus involves a process called heat-sweating, which makes Swedish snus unique in the world. All production follows strict procedural and hygienic standards.

Food standards
Swedish snus is regulated as a food product in Sweden. Production and additive standards are the same as those for food products.

Scientific documentation
Several recent, independent scientific studies have been published regarding the health effects of Swedish snus. The Swedish Board of Health and Welfare summarized this research in its 1997 report Health Risks of Snus, which states "[t]he health risks of snus are with great probability less than the risks that are associated with smoking." (Ahlbom, A.; Olsson, U.A.; Pershagen, G. Hälsorisker med snus. Socialstyrelsen: SoS-rapport 1997:11)

The Scientist, Volume 17 | Issue 6 | 22 | Mar. 24, 2003 (The Scientist is an international news magazine)
"The new, so-called harm-reduction products are getting mixed reactions from public health officials. These can include "safer" cigarettes, novel nicotine products, and smokeless tobacco, such as low nitrosamine Snus from Sweden. "Snus is the most interesting harm-reduction story in the world," says Kenneth Warner, director, University of Michigan Tobacco Research Network. Perhaps because of its low cost compared to cigarettes, almost 30% of Swedish men use Snus. "The Swedish government has studied this stuff to death, and to date, there is no compelling evidence that it has any adverse health consequences. ... Whatever they eventually find out, it is dramatically less dangerous than smoking," says Warner."

University of Minnesota Cancer Center
"Smokeless Tobacco Study: Alternative Nicotine Treatment Systems (ANTS)
This study examines the health effects of Swedish Snus and the nicotine patch. Snus is a Swedish smokeless tobacco product that contains less nitrosamines (cancer causing agents) than traditional American smokeless tobacco. The nicotine patch is a transdermal nicotine delivery system used to quit tobacco use."

Wall Street Journal Volume 34, 2001
"In week 34 of 2001 Wall Street Journal published an article about a laboratory test on tobacco snuff carried out by the health authorities in Massachusetts. Massachusetts is the state which have been working hardest to implement the toughest regulations against tobacco. What happen in this state is carefully monitored by federal authorities and the tobacco industry. In the examination the existence of carcinogenic nitrosamine substances were compared among five US brands together with the Swedish brand "Ettan snus". The result showed that Ettan snus scored lowest amount of carcinogenic nitrosamine substances, containing 2.8 per mil of weight, compared with 127.9 per mil of weight for the worst US brand. According to laboratory experiment on rats, nitrosamine substances have developed tumours. But to get the amount of nitrosamine substances that the rats were given, a man has to consume 1654 lb. - 750 kg (the weight of a small car) of the Swedish Ettan snus per day."

3.How is Swedish snus produced?

Swedish snus is made from high quality tobacco, specially selected for the lowest possible levels of undesirable components. Swedish Match experiments with cultivation in different countries to achieve the best possible raw tobacco. Important characteristics such as processing flexability and taste vary depending on seed type, growth location, climate, leaf position on the plant and curing conditions.

Swedish snus production involves three main steps: grinding, processing and packaging. First, the tobacco leaves are pulverized. Particle size varies according to the brand. A blend contains between 10 and 30 different grades of tobacco.

Next, the tobacco is mixed with water and salt. It then undergoes heat treatment. Afterwards, it is chilled and flavor is added.

Finally, the snus is packaged in loose (loose snus) or pouch (portion snus) form in cans.

4.How much Swedish snus is consumed?

Swedish snus is consumed mainly in Scandinavia. In Sweden, total consumption was 6200 tons in year 2000. One hundred sixty-seven million cans were consumed, of which 75 million (45%) were portion snus.

Approximately 1,000,000 people in Sweden use snus - 90% are men and 10% are women. Approximately 22% of the adult male population uses Swedish snus.

5.What are the ingredients in Swedish snus?
Swedish snus consists of ground tobacco, water, salt and additives. In Sweden, snus is regulated under the Food Act. All additives are approved for use in food. Swedish snus contains the following additives:

Salt, which adds taste and acts as a preservative
Sodium carbonate, which is converted into bicarbonate
Food approved humectants, which preserve moisture
Flavor additives, which give each brand its unique character

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