THE REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA PROGRESSES IN COMBATTING INTERNATIONAL ILLICIT TRADE IN TOBACCO PRODUCTS, WITH EU SUPPORT

The Parliament of the Republic of Moldova adopted on 17 March the law for the accession of the Republic of Moldova to the Protocol on the Elimination of Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products, under the Framework Convention of the World Health Organisation on Tobacco Control. This is an important achievement in terms of tobacco control policies and public health.

The EU High Level Advisers’ Mission has been advocating for Moldova’s accession to the Protocol – a commitment of the EU-Moldova Association Agreement. The Protocol provides a comprehensive set of tools to fight illicit trade including smuggling, and seeks greater collaboration between government agencies, including customs and other law enforcement agencies, at national and international level, involving also the health sector. The Mission has been recommending several ways of securing the supply chain of tobacco products, including tracking and tracing technologies, which are key to achieving this objective.

Note: According to statistics, the share of illicit trade in tobacco products in our country is 2-3 percent of the total volume of these products placed on the market. This leads to the non-collection in the state budget of about 40 million lei annually. The Protocol on the Elimination of the Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products was adopted on 12 November 2012. To date, over 60 states have acceded to it.