Tobacco control

Turkey will introduce a new smoking ban that will extend the smoke-free zones of restaurants to semi-closed parts of restaurants and cafes. 

Turkish Health Minister Recep Akdağ announced that they would introduce new regulations in 2017 to promote healthy life that will include steps against tobacco and tobacco products. 

Piraeus port authorities confiscated two containers containing 1,147,000 cigarette packs (22,940,000 cigarettes) on Wednesday.

According to authorities, the cost to the state in lost taxes amounts to 4,277,750.38 euros. Police are searching for the intended recipients of the contraband.  

The increase in the special consumption tax on tobacco products from January 1 will entail a 100-million-euro annual loss in state revenues, a report issued by the Foundation for Economic and Industrial Research (IOBE) warned on Monday.

Every year the Greek state misses out on tax revenues of at least 800 million euros due to the tax hikes it has imposed on cigarettes. With the new increases scheduled from 2017, it runs the risk of missing out on even more much-needed cash, as the shock of the hikes is likely to lead to a massive swing towards illegal tobacco products.

Cigarette packages will no longer be displayed in shops selling tobacco products and new regulations on their sales will be implemented, according to a statement by the Health Ministry.  

The statement also said cigarette brands will no longer be visible on packages according to the new regulation. 

Cigarette smuggling in Romania recorded a sharp monthly increase of 22.8 per cent in September, the biggest monthly increase in the last two years, according to a study by the market research company Novel Research, commissioned by Romanian tobacco companies.

The black market share of the tobacco market thus rose to 18.3 per cent in September, up from 14.9 per cent in July.

A proposed amendment by 16 SYRIZA deputies calling for a prohibition of the sale of cigarettes and other smoking-related products at corner shops was withdrawn Tuesday, following strong reaction from trade associations.

On the occasion of World No Smoking Day on Tuesday, the Hellenic Anti-cancer Institute has called on the government to redouble efforts to enforce an anti-smoking ban in restaurants, bars and other public places but also to extend the ban to children's playgrounds, beaches and squares.

The European Court of Justice rejected tobacco firms legal challenge against EU rules that force them to put graphic images on cigarette packages warning people of the dangers of smoking.

Bulgarian tobacco growers have vowed to take to the streets unless what they call a "smear campaign" against Bulgartabac, a major tobacco holding group in the country.

Earlier the private company announced it was halting all sales to the Middle East as of April 01, citing an alleged negative media campaign and the "sensitive situation in that region".