On January 29, Romanian Christian democrat MEP Cristian-Silviu Bușoi organised a seminar discussion titled “Where does the parallel trade of tobacco come from? How to end it?”, which focused on firstly finding the cause for the parallel tobacco trade and subsequently, propose solutions on how to end it. The discussion largely focused on proposed tracking and tracing systems to combat parallel and illicit tobacco trade within the European Union, with stakeholders from various organisations such as the European Network for Smoking and Tobacco Prevention, and a representative of the Commission giving interventions on the topic, focusing on the legal framework proposed for tracking and traceability of tobacco products. 

Francisco Rodriguez Lozano, President of the European Network for Smoking and Tobacco Prevention (ENSP), offered some introductory remarks. He welcomed everyone to what he hoped would be a fruitful discussion, and he thanked MEP Bușoi for the organisation of the event. Price, he highlighted, was one of the most effective measures of tobacco control.

The Director of Smoke Free Tobacco, Anca Toma Friedlander, also offered some opening remarks. She thanked for the invitation to the event, and for being allocated time to intervene. Smoke Free Partnership is a partnership of the Belgian Foundation against cancer, Cancer Research UK, the Dutch Cancer Society and the Norwegian Cancer Society with the European Heart Network, Action on Smoking and Health (UK), and La Ligue contre le Cancer, she explained. They coordinate a coalition of 45 organisations all over Europe to advocate for the implementation of the illicit trade protocol. The points that she will be presented have also been endorsed by the European Cancer League, she noted.

The main pannels of discussion were: Legal framework adopted under the TPD and its derived acts, Article 7 and 8 of the WHO-FCTC illicit trade protocol, Illicit tobacco trade, Tobacco control research and  The legal framework adopted by the European Commission vs. the WHO protocol.