The KPMG 2017 Project Sun report on counterfeit and contraband cigarette consumption in Europe shows an overall decrease in the trade of illicit cigarettes, although they are still estimated at 8.7% of total consumption. In total this represents a tax revenue loss of €10bn for EU member states, making illicit cigarettes one of the largest sources of overall consumption. Read More

The European Commission’s DG TAXUD published end of July the updated releases for consumption of cigarettes and fine-cut tobacco, including 2017 figures. Sales have declined for fine-cut tobacco products by around 6%. Read More

The city of Paris has turned six parks into non-smoking areas. This ban on smoking is supposed to last for a trial period of four months before a probable extension to all gardens and parks in the capital. So far, there has only been a smoking ban on 500 playgrounds, but this move is considered to be the next step in the city’s anti-smoking policy. Countries like Finland, Iceland, the UK and some US cities have implemented a similar ban. Read More

On 28 June, the conditions for the entry into force of the WHO’s Protocol on fighting illegal tobacco smuggling were met following ratification by a sufficient number of parties to the FCTC. As of May 2019, each tobacco pack will have at least five identification marks, placed in a variety of ways based on each country’s choice, such as tax stamps, barcodes, QR codes or holograms. The information within will be stored in a centralised database that governments can use to track the movement of tobacco. Read More

Roll your own tobacco products are being targeted in Spain following the release of statistics showing a growth in sales of fine-cut tobacco. Some activists are calling for an increase in taxes on fine-cut as a measure to reduce the smoking rate. Read More

The Court of Justice of the European Union issued an opinion yesterday on a case referred by a German court regarding the EU Tobacco Products Directive of 2014. ESTA member and family-owned company Planta Tabak sells, among other products, flavoured roll-your-own tobacco. Planta took a case to dispute provisions of the German law transposing the provision from the Directive restricting the sale of tobacco products that have a ‘characterising flavour’, arguing that the Directive violates the principle of proportionality, as there was no transitional period and therefore they were left with no time to comply with the new rules for labelling and packaging. Read More

Following a recent law change, cigarettes and snus in Norway will be required to have plain packaging, as of July 1st. In order to reduce smoking rates in the country and after a transitional phase, the Norwegian Government decided to enforce neutral packaging (no logo, symbol, picture or colour) for cigarette packs and boxes of snus. Read More

This week saw the presentation of OLAF’s annual report. As Director-General Nicholas Ilett put it, “Our investigative performance in 2017 shows that our work is essential in protecting EU taxpayers’ money and ensuring that EU funds do not fuel fraud and corruption instead of financing projects that can bring real added-value to citizens.” Read More

A recent study published by independent polling company Kantar TNS shows that plain packaging has not had a measurable effect on smoking prevalence in the United Kingdom. Less than a year after its introduction, the government must now acknowledge the failure of this widely unpopular measure. The study reveals that a clear majority of UK citizens (65%) believe that plain-packaging has failed to deliver results and constitutes a poor allocation of budgetary resources. Initially introduced in Australia in 2012, the policy has never been shown to have any impact on smoking rates. Read More