Europäischer Rechnungshof - European Court of Auditors
(Press invitation) The illegal tobacco trade: is the EU winning the fight?
Press invitation
For 8 September 2026
The illegal tobacco trade: is the EU winning the fight?
- Online press briefing under embargo on Tuesday 8 September at 11:00 (Luxembourg time)
- Publication the same day at 17:00
The European Court of Auditors (ECA) would like to invite you to an online press briefing on its upcoming special report on EU and member state efforts to combat the illicit trade in tobacco – whether production or smuggling. It will be held in English and under embargo at 11:00 on Tuesday 8 September.
The purpose of the briefing is to provide you with a detailed overview of the audit, and to put its conclusions and recommendations into context. It will also give you a chance to discuss the report with ECA Member Petri Sarvamaa and representatives of the audit team.
RSVP: Please let us know by 16:00 on Monday 7 September whether you intend to take part in the virtual briefing; we will then send you detailed instructions on how to connect.
To allow for an informed discussion, confirmed participants can receive an embargoed copy of the report and press release upon request ahead of the briefing. Both documents will be published on the ECA’s website on 8 September at 17:00.
Background
While smuggling remains a problem, the illegal production of counterfeit tobacco products in the EU has increased. Illicit manufacturing sites have been identified in almost all EU countries. Relocating production from Eastern European countries (such as Belarus or Ukraine) to the EU is a strategic decision made by organised crime groups to shorten supply chains and access consumers more directly. The European Commission has estimated financial losses to the EU and its member states from illegal tobacco products at over €13 billion. Our auditors have examined to what extent EU and member state efforts to combat illicit trade in tobacco have been successful – or whether they will go up in smoke. In particular, the auditors have examined the intelligence framework for data collection, cooperation between customs authorities, and Commission support. Their work included audit visits to four member states – Belgium, Spain, Poland, and Romania – that were selected on the basis of geographical distribution, and information that was available about seizures, illegal production facilities, and trafficking routes.
Contact:
ECA press office: press@eca.europa.eu