The FINANCIAL — The EU Border Assistance Mission to Moldova and Ukraine (EUBAM) has held a meeting on tobacco smuggling in the Moldovan capital Chisinau on 26-27 October.
The meeting of EUBAM’s TASK Force Tobacco was an opportunity for experts from Moldova, Ukraine, Hungary, Slovakia, Poland, Romania, and the UK to share their views and deepen international cooperation in fighting cigarette smuggling, which has a significant impact on the budgets of affected countries, according to EU Neighbours East Info.
Law enforcement and international agencies presented the results of the operations they had conducted in 2016, with a particular attention on sophisticated or new ways of smuggling. Discussions focused on possible coordinated solutions for tackling this criminal activity. Experts agreed that increased pressure is being posed from the smuggling of so-called “cheap white” cigarettes, most often imported from third countries and for which there is normally no legal market within the EU.
Participants also discussed support to the implementation of the Moldovan Customs Service’s Anti-illicit Tobacco Trade Strategy as well as the future endorsement of a similar strategy by the Ukrainian government.
The Task Force has become the key mechanism for EUBAM’s engagement with Moldovan and Ukrainian partners as well as wider stakeholders on the illicit tobacco trade. It has encouraged partners to share intelligence and develop integrated methods for dealing with a common problem. It has also facilitated contacts with counterparts in EU member states and the broader business community.
The European Union Border Assistance Mission to Moldova and Ukraine (EUBAM) promotes border control, customs and trade norms and practices that meet EU standards and serve the needs of its two partner countries.
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