The European Anti-Fraud Office estimates that the illicit trade in cigarettes leads to over EUR 10 billion annual loss in the budgets of the EU and its Member States.

At its meeting, the Committee on National Security and Defence analysed the obstacles to combating cigarette smuggling and discussed the Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament Stepping up the fight against cigarette smuggling and other forms of illicit trade in tobacco products. The Communication outlines the nature and scale of the EU problem of illicit tobacco trade, identifies the factors contributing to the illicit trade and proposes a comprehensive EU strategy for combating this problem within the EU.

The fight against cigarette smuggling and other forms of illicit trade in tobacco products are especially relevant to Lithuania. In spite of the measures taken to date, the eastern border of the European Union, especially the Baltic Region, remains the target of illicit traders. The main countries of provenance are Russia, Ukraine, and, increasingly, Belarus.

In the light of the proposals of EU Member States, Lithuania, the current Presidency of the Council of the EU, is preparing the Council’s conclusions on stepping up the fight against cigarette smuggling, which are aimed at giving increased political importance to the Communication. The Committee recommended the Customs Department to revise the Lithuanian position on the Communication by adding the information on the progress of drafting the Council’s conclusions on stepping up the fight against cigarette smuggling and to submit the position, together with the Council’s draft conclusions, to the Committee.

Vilma Kaminskienė, Adviser, Office of the Committee on National Security and Defence, tel.+370 5 239 6773