Illicit Trade

Berlin – November 06, 2026 -- Almost 2 billion cigarettes a year in Germany are counterfeit or smuggled, and 24.6% of cigarettes smoked in the country are not taxed there, according to British American Tobacco (BAT). The company is pressing for tougher enforcement and a legal framework for nicotine pouches as the recently adopted tobacco tax increase approaches.

BAT presented the figures at the F.A.Z. Panel Talk in Berlin, where participants from politics, academia, law enforcement and industry discussed how to push back illegal markets. Jorge Araya Remagni, Area Director Central Europe and General Manager BAT Germany, cited both numbers in his opening address.

Berlin – November 03, 2026 -- A coalition of 201 companies, associations and organizations from Europe's tobacco and nicotine value chain has appealed to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to change course on pending EU regulation. The German industry association BVTE backs the initiative, which is dated November 3, 2026.

Three EU files converge before year-end

The Commission plans to table proposals by the end of the year to revise the Tobacco Products Directive and the Tobacco Advertising Directive. Meanwhile, the Irish Council presidency is pushing for agreement on the Tobacco Tax Directive at the ECOFIN Council on November 9.

The signatories warn that the burdens from the individual projects will compound one another and endanger investment, innovation and employment in Europe. They call for science-based, proportionate decisions that account for economic consequences.