Countries are meeting in Geneva to fight together against the illicit tobacco trade

After the 11th^e At the 4th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, 71 Parties that have ratified the Protocol to Combat Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products are meeting.^e The Meeting of the Parties (MOP4) will be held from 24 to 26 November 2025 in Geneva. This Protocol was negotiated in support of the implementation of Article 15 of the FCTC, which recognizes that eliminating all forms of illicit trade in tobacco products, as well as developing and implementing legislation in this area, are essential aspects of tobacco control. Entering into force in 2018, it thus constitutes a legal and operational instrument to combat illicit trade, which poses a threat to public health, depletes national resources, and constitutes a global security problem, as this trafficking is linked to organized crime networks. The MOP agenda includes discussions on strengthening international cooperation, improving information sharing, and enhancing control of the tobacco supply chain.

Behind the illicit trade lie issues of public health, tax revenue, and security.

From a public health perspective, the illicit trade in tobacco products fuels tobacco consumption by facilitating access to cheaper products and partially undermines public health efforts. It is a lever used by the industry to increase the accessibility of its products, including to children and adolescents. This availability facilitates early initiation, perpetuates addiction, and jeopardizes the regulatory progress achieved under the FCTC.

From a fiscal perspective, illicit trade illegally reduces the tax base and partially undermines the effectiveness of tax increases on tobacco products. According to the journal Tobacco Control, it represents approximately 11% of the global tobacco market and results in over $47.4 billion (€40 billion) in annual tax losses. It thus deprives governments of essential resources for funding public services, particularly those needed to prevent smoking and care for people with tobacco-related illnesses.

Finally, it poses a threat to public safety because it directly links to organized crime networks involving issues of corruption, money laundering and the financing of terrorist networks.

MOP4 aims to implement and strengthen the measures of the Protocol

The Meeting of the Parties (MOP) represents the sovereign assembly of countries that have ratified the Protocol and that make the decisions to implement the provisions of this text.

Indeed, this text brings together the technical and legal provisions designed to control the supply chain, promote cooperation between countries in this area, and strengthen sanctions. Among the measures to better control supply are, in particular, licensing systems and the elimination of duty-free zones. The issue of the tracking and traceability system will be addressed during this session, focusing on essential production factors such as filters, raw tobacco, as well as manufacturing machinery and cigarette paper.

During the presentation of countries' experiences, all participants acknowledged the need to strengthen international cooperation and information sharing. Investigations conducted by specialized journalists also highlighted the involvement of manufacturers in organizing these illicit parallel markets.

France ratified the Protocol but is not respecting its commitments

The National Committee Against Smoking (CNCT), during its symposium on the scope, challenges and solutions concerning parallel tobacco markets, He pointed out that France, which ratified the International Protocol to Combat Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products in 2018, has nevertheless never paid the amount of its contributions[1]. The arrears thus amount to $2.5 million and represent the equivalent of a year's budget for implementing the provisions of this legislation, which could help countries recover tax revenue. In this regard, the CNCT (National Committee Against Tobacco) points out that, according to the independent study on the tax shortfall linked to the oversupply of border markets by tobacco manufacturers, this costs France €4.3 billion in tax revenue.

The CNCT and the organizations of the Global Alliance for Tobacco Control have therefore called on the French authorities to respect their commitments, in order to support the fight against parallel markets, fight against tax evasion by manufacturers, improve the recovery of tax revenues but also not to lose political credibility during the various MOPs.

The association also mentioned that one of the measures provided for in the Protocol against these losses is the application of delivery quotas imposed on manufacturers, adjusted to smoking prevalence and actual consumption levels., a solution supported in France by MP Frédéric Valletoux and his parliamentary group. The MP, who argued that’ a cigarette smoked in France must have been purchased in France »He also warned that the current product traceability system remains in the hands of tobacco companies, is opaque, and that data that could prove manufacturers' involvement in oversupplying border markets and parallel trade is not made public.

©Generation Without Tobacco

AD

[1]National Committee against Smoking, In the fight against illicit trade, France is not respecting its commitments., Published on November 24, 2025, accessed the same day

National Committee Against Smoking |