The tobacco law, which sets out the conditions for the manufacturing, presentation, and sale of tobacco products according to a European directive, was promulgated by President Klaus Iohannis on November 3.

According to the new law, the warning pictures need to cover 65% of the package’s surface.

The flavored cigarettes will be banned 30 days after the law is published in the Official Gazette. The menthol cigarettes can be sold until 2019, but the ones with a click will disappear from the market.

The European directive should have been applied starting May 20. It was approved two years ago, but it hasn’t been transposed into the national law.

The European Commission had already started the sanctioning procedures against Romania. However, the local tobacco producers asked for more time to prepare for the changes brought by this new law.

editor@romania-insider.com