OSLO: Illicit trade in tobacco products increased by a staggering 28 per cent last year and cost the treasury some €10 million in loss of revenue.
This was the main finding of an EU-wide report that will be discussed at the seventh session of the Conference of the Parties (COP7) which will be held in India in November.
The meeting will bring together the World Health Organisation Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) 180 parties – which includes almost every country in the world, as well as regional economic integration organisations like the European Union.
The protocol to eliminate illicit trade in tobacco products is an international treaty to address the increasing illegal trade in tobacco products. The illicit trade is enormous in some countries, with an average of nearly 10 per cent of the global cigarette market estimated to be made up of illegal product. This number is significantly higher in low and middle income countries with up to 50 per cent of cigarettes coming from illicit sources.
The protocol is needed because the illicit trade in tobacco products poses a serious threat to public health. This trade increases access to illicit tobacco products, undermining tobacco control policies. The protocol will provide an international legal framework to implement a series of measures, taken by individual countries, acting in cooperation with each other.
