Ireland Health Minister Dr James Reilly is set to bring the draft for plain cigarette packaging to Cabinet for approval.
If approved by Cabinet and enacted by the Oireachtas, the new law will see the ban on the use of any logos on cigarette packaging, which will be sold in the country.
If the law gets approved in the Cabinet, the minister plans to introduce it in the Seanad.
Upon obtaining clearance from the Seanad, the bill will go to the European Commission and the WTO for approval.
Ireland is said to be the first EU member state to introduce plain packaging legislation, which will mandate graphic warnings on all cigarette packaging.
As per the new law, all forms of branding, trademarks and logos will be banned on cigarette packs so as to make them look less appealing, while highlighting health warnings.
Most of the tobacco companies are opposing the new law, as it is said to trample over intellectual property rights owned by them.
In order to prepare the legislation on plain packaging, Dr Reilly received a mandate from the government in November 2013.
Plain cigarette packaging is also known as generic, standardized or homogeneous packaging and refers to packaging that requires the removal of all branding including colors, imagery, corporate logos and trademarks.
The packaging allows manufacturers to print only the brand name in a mandated size, font and place on the pack, in addition to the health warnings and any other legally mandated information such as toxic constituents and tax-paid stamps.
