The problem of illegal trade in tobacco and nicotine-containing products is more urgent than ever, said Oleg Barvin, Director of the Department of Legal Affairs and External Corporate Relations of BAT
Within the framework of the tenth international forum "Anti-counterfeit" (12+), Bishkek will host a discussion session on the topic "Combating illegal trafficking of tobacco and nicotine-containing products: partnership between the state and business" (18+)
Illicit trafficking in tobacco and nicotine-containing products remains a serious threat to the economies of the EAEU countries. Despite the efforts being made, the scale of the problem is only growing. The losses of the federal budget from the black market of cigarettes in the Russian Federation exceed 100 billion rubles a year.
"The problem of illegal trade in tobacco and nicotine-containing products is more urgent than ever. We see that the black market is growing, despite all measures, and covers more and more types of products. For example, the level of illegal trade in nicotine-containing liquids and disposable electronic cigarettes is rapidly increasing. Also, the problem goes beyond the borders of Russia and becomes common not only for the EAEU countries. I will mention Uzbekistan, where the share of illegal trade has tripled in less than a year and exceeded the figures for Russia, reaching about 15%. The Anti–Counterfeit Forum is an opportunity to develop a comprehensive approach to combating this urgent threat, which requires coordinated efforts of all EAEU countries," said Oleg Barvin, Director of the Legal Affairs and External Corporate Relations Department of BAT.
The discussion session "Combating illegal trafficking of tobacco and nicotine-containing products: partnership between the state and business" will be held on the second day of the forum, September 27, and will be held in a hybrid format: offline and online. It will be attended by representatives of state, control and supervisory authorities of the EAEU member states, business, public organizations, as well as experts. Among the issues to be discussed: regulation of new types of tobacco and nicotine-containing products, development of the EAEU technical regulations for nicotine-containing products, as well as the importance of ensuring transparency of the market of non-smoking tobacco and nicotine-containing products in the EAEU countries.
The Tenth International Forum "Anti-Counterfeit" (+12), dedicated to combating illegal trafficking of industrial products and protection of intellectual property rights, will be held in Bishkek from September 26 to 28, 2022.
Source:
tass.ru