In the EU, tobacco continues to be the most significant cause of premature deaths responsible for nearly 700,000 deaths every year. One week after the World No Tobacco Day, the European Parliament ratified the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products, a protocol to the World Health Organisation Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).
EFA, together with our partner organisations the European Network for Smoking and Tobacco Prevention (ENSP) and the European Respiratory Society (ERS), sent a letter to all Members of the European Parliament, urging them to take this measure that will protect Europeans’ health. The FCTC Protocol on illicit trade will save lives, push for a policy alignment in each EU Member States and fight illegal activities.
One of the main provisions of the FCTC Protocol on Illicit Trade is the tracking and tracing system of tobacco products, from their place of manufacture to the point of sale. The protocol ratified by MEPs states that the registration of products should be operated in the production unit by an independent company and that the traceability of the course as well as the storage and the maintenance should be secured independently.
Please access the full Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products here.
For more information on illicit trade do not hesitate visiting our tobacco and smoking section.