EU TO INCREASE CIGARETTE AND TOBACCO EXCISES
The European Union Council of Ministers, the bloc’s principal decision-making body, has adopted a directive updating EU rules on the structure and rates of excise duties on cigarettes and other tobacco products
"The directive is intended to ensure a higher level of public health protection by raising minimum excise duties on cigarettes, while bringing the minimum rates for fine-cut tobacco gradually into line with those for cigarettes," a media statement said.