 From 1993 onwards, the EC Council of Ministers announced in Brussels in mid-November that manufacturers in the countries of the European Union were only allowed to sell brands with a maximum of 15 milligrams of tar per cigarette.By 1998, the carcinogenic pollutant was eventually reduced to 12 milligrams.In 1998, the variant ""Roth-Händle Blond"" was launched with a large advertising effort, aiming to introduce the brand (similar to the blond Gauloises) to new customers.