Luxembourg imports 36 times more cigarettes than the UK

The French National Assembly has adopted a European resolution that could be the beginning of a major change in the regulation of tobacco trade at the EU level. The document, initiated by MP Frédéric Valletoux of the Horizons party, is not legally binding but clearly outlines France's position ahead of the revision of the European Tobacco Products Directive.

The essence of the proposal is to introduce tobacco quotas commensurate with the actual level of consumption in each EU member state. In addition, it is proposed to reinstate limits on the import of cigarettes for personal use within Schengen, and to create a single annual report on the illegal tobacco trade with transparent and comparable data.

Right in the text of the resolution, Luxembourg is mentioned as a country with an abnormally high supply: 21.56 cigarettes per day per person - 36 times more than in the UK. According to the French Committee to Combat Smoking (CNCT), this disparity does not reflect real consumption, but a deliberate oversupply of products destined for parallel exports - including illegal ones.

"Such strategies actually fuel the grey market and circumvent national anti-smoking measures," CNCT said in a statement. The association believes manufacturers play a key role in shaping shadow cigarette flows, especially in border regions with high tax and price differentials.

Tobacco manufacturers, in turn, sharply criticised the initiative. Imperial Brands - Seita Group (which owns Gauloises and Winston brands) said that the idea of quotas raises serious doubts about their legal validity and effectiveness, and jeopardises the entire industry. According to their figures, more than 108,000 people in France are employed in the tobacco sector, including production, logistics and retail. Seita emphasises that it is the last major international manufacturer to retain a factory in France.

Frédéric Valletoux, former Minister of Health, calls the resolution "a strong signal from the EU", emphasising the principle: "The cigarette should be smoked in the country where it was bought". In his opinion, it is a "clear and ambitious position" necessary to fight tax evasion and parallel markets that are destroying the government's public health strategy.