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Commission steps up fight against #IllicitTobaccoTrade

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The Commission has  adopted an Action Plan to enable the European Union to continue fighting illegal tobacco trade, a phenomenon that deprives it and its member states of roughly €10 billion of public revenue every year.

The Action Plan outlines concrete steps to address both the supply of and the demand for illegal tobacco products. Welcoming the adoption of the Plan, Budget and Human Resources Commissioner Günther H. Oettinger said: "Fighting the global illicit tobacco trade is a priority for the European Union. We should all join forces to stop smugglers and I am happy that today we are identifying further ways to achieve this. I call on all EU Member States to join us in this effort. Signing up to the UN's protocol is an important step in this direction."

The new Action Plan builds on the EU's 2013 Strategy on fighting the illicit tobacco trade. With the recent entry into force of the World Health Organisation's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) Protocol and the roll-out of the new EU traceability system, required under the Protocol, today's Action Plan proposes further initiatives to ensure the effective fight against illicit tobacco products. They include actions to fully exploit the potential of the FCTC Protocol as a global instrument, to engage key source and trade countries, thus limiting the supply arriving at EU's borders, and to raise awareness among consumers.

More information is available online here.

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