Illicit Trade Archives

Illegal sale of fine cut tobacco is on the rise in Eastern and Southeastern Europe, depriving state budgets of millions of euros in unpaid taxes and causing concern in the EU's anti-fraud office, OLAF, and the European Commission.

Greek Ministry of Rural Development and Food announced on Friday (4 August) that the customs office seized more than 700 kilos of illegal pesticides originating from Turkey.

Plans to tackle the problem of illicit tobacco by using track and trace technologies are gathering momentum among European policymakers. But Juan Yañez warns that concerns about the type and timing of the technology need to be raised.

Several member states and the EU distribution sector have questioned the effectiveness of a recent European Commission consultant’s proposal on the future track and trace system of tobacco products.

Today, on World Anti-Counterfeiting Day, Alain Galaski calls on the Commission to act more decisively against counterfeiting.

The EU wants to tackle counterfeit pharmaceuticals and tobacco. Tracking, tracing and authentication (TT&A) has a big role to play in this. But who should be tasked with implementing and monitoring it? Craig Stobie explains how the problem should be handled.

The recent killing of a rhino in a French zoo brought the harsh realities of wildlife crime to our doorstep, yet the EU already lies at the heart of the illegal wildlife trade. Joanna Swabe, Eleonora Panella and Daniel Turner argue that tackling wildlife trafficking must be made a priority issue.

MEPs today (16 March) adopted a new law obliging importers of minerals to ensure that their business does not contribute to armed conflicts in certain areas of the world. EURACTIV France reports.

The involvement of the tobacco industry in an EU-wide track and trace system to tackle smuggling has divided relevant stakeholders.

The rise of counterfeit smartphone devices in the EU in 2015 is dealing a severe blow to industry sales and consumer safety, a new report has warned.

In an effort to halt the growing illicit tobacco trade from Belarus to Europe, the European Commission is calling on Minsk to approximate its excise duty rates to the levels in the EU.

Cigarette smuggling costs national and EU budgets more than €10 billion annually in lost public revenue and is a major source of organised crime, including terrorism, Margarete Hofmann told Euractiv in an interview.

The EU-Japan trade deal is an opportunity to encourage Japan to stop flouting multilateral environmental agreements, writes Joanna Swabe.

Smartphones could help slash the amount of counterfeit products that are sold in Europe, according to a new report.

The definition of new international standards and control processes to fight counterfeiting and cross-border illicit trade is increasingly considered as a priority by industries and policy makers.

Europe’s efforts to promote more transparent and responsible mineral supply chains now risk being undermined by a series of loopholes carefully branded as "import thresholds", writes Michael Gibb.

The rise of counterfeit products in spirits and wine across Europe cause annual government losses estimated at €1.2 billion as well as approximately 4,800 jobs in these sectors, a new study has found.

The European Commission will focus on the new tobacco directive, as well as accords with the World Health Organisation to fight against illicit tobacco trade, following the expiration a 12-year deal with Marlboro-maker Philip Morris.