Only 11 of 28 European Union member states met the 20 May deadline to pass national laws implementing the revised EU Tobacco Products Directive (TPD), the Associated Press said.

EU Commission spokesman Alexander Winterstein reportedly said the 17 states would have two months to implement the Directive, which was approved two years ago.
Ireland, one of three EU countries to adopt uniform packaging controls that remove tobacco product branding, did not transpose the Directive into national law until the 20 May implementation date for TPD. Formation of a new Irish government has been cited for the delay. “I look forward to progressing our standardised packaging regulations in the near future,” new Health Minister Simon Harris said in a ministry statement.