Eight European Union countries filed objections to plans by Ireland to introduce plain packaging for tobacco products, the Irish Times reported.

EU countries can file objections to national legislation in other member states when they believe passage would create a block to the free movement of goods and service within the internal market. The deadline for objections is 18 Sept, the newspaper said.
Ireland is seeking to become the first EU country, and the second in the world, to ban branding from tobacco packaging by mandating a uniform colour for packaging, a standard typeface and size for brand names. Objecting countries are the Czech Republic, Greece, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia and Spain, the Times said.