Tobacco industry

The government on Friday submitted an amendment in Parliament writing off a 44-million-euro fine the state had imposed on tobacco company SEKAP over smuggling infractions.
SYRIZA had voted a similar amendment in 2017, but an appeals court in northern Greece upheld the fine in 2017, noting that it did not have a retroactive application.

With a growing number of smokers switching to IQOS, a tobacco-heating device which delivers a nicotine hit without actually burning the tobacco, the Papastratos production facility in Aspropyrgos is playing a significant role in turning the country into a major export center for Philip Morris International, Andre Calantzopoulos, the chief executive officer of US multinational Philip Morris Inte

SEKAP announced on Thursday that production of the products of new owner Japan Tobacco International (JTI) has started, just two-and-a-half months after the Greek tobacco company's takeover.

JTI has upgraded the SEKAP factory at Xanthi in Thrace, which has begun producing Camel and Winston Giga buckets destined for daily export to European Union member-states.

The operation of Greek tobacco company SEKAP will continue following the definitive agreement for the acquisition of parent company Donskoy Tabak by Japan Tobacco International (JTI).

The European Commission adopted on Friday a legal act requiring a 'track-and-trace' system for tobacco products to tackle smuggling and tax avoidance, EUOBSERVER reported.

Phillip Morris has launched a new cigarette product in the UK market that it claims to be healthier than its conventional tobacco products. Its smokeless cigarette is described by some as a “hybrid between analogs and electronic cigarettes.”

In Russia, a ban against smoking cigarettes in bars and restaurants officially comes into force on June 1.

According to the second part of a law adopted last year, the ban applies to smoking in cafes, restaurants, hotels and dormitories, long-haul trains and on the platforms of local railway stations.

The percentage of cigarettes on sale in Romania that have been smuggled into the country rose slightly to 15.8 per cent in March, up 0.1 percentage point compared to the previous month, market sources said.

Most smuggled cigarettes come from neighboring Moldova and Ukraine, according to a report from Novel Research polling company.

Turkey, Europe declare 'end game' for tobacco users

European Union and Turkish tobacco experts set the rules aimed at ending the use of tobacco in Europe.

Coffee shop owners stage a 2009 protest against the government's ban of indoor smoking. Experts say the adoption of European directives will help reduce smoking and its related health risks. [AFP]