Illicit Trade Archives

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.