The local cigarette producers have been asking for a six-month delay in adapting their production to the EU Directive.

The new EU Directive on tobacco will enter into force on May 20. It changes the requirements for both product and packaging and the producers will have to buy new equipment and materials to comply.

However, the producers argue that the Romanian authorities haven’t yet created the legal framework to transpose the directive and to adapt the production.

“The absence of a law on transporting the tobacco directive and the lack of technical specifications for production and trade will block the functioning of the legal market,” according to representatives of British American Tobacco, Japan Tobacco International, and Philip Morris.

The cigarette producers also say that the state stands to lose some EUR 230 million per month if they can’t continue producing and selling their products while the illegal cigarette trade will increase.

The tobacco industry is the second biggest contributor to the state budget. About 60% of the cigarettes produced in Romania go to export.

editor@romania-insider.com