Press Release: Commission welcomes positive outcome of WHO conference with signature of a protocol to stop illicit trade on tobacco

A Protocol on the Elimination of the Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products adopted by the Conference of the Parties to the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) is the main achievement of a conference in Seoul, South Korea. Signed on 12th November, the Protocol was negotiated by the European Commission, on behalf of the EU and its Member States. The Protocol forces the Parties to implement effective measures to eliminate the illicit manufacturing and trading of tobacco products, which causes losses, in the EU and Member States, of approximately €10 billion per year. Effective measures against illicit products also ensure that the safeguards of tobacco control legislation, e.g. on ingredients control or labelling, are better respected.