A German member of the EU parliament has asked the Commission what measures it is taking to prevent its track-and-trace system creating a de facto ban on the export of tobacco products from EU countries to certain other countries.
In a preamble to three questions, Werner Langen said that on December 15, 2017, the Commission had adopted an implementing act introducing an EU-wide track-and-trace system for tobacco products.
The system was intended to cover also products manufactured for markets outside the EU, he said, before asking:
1) ‘Is the inclusion of goods for export within the scope of the track-and-trace system compatible with EU legislation, and how does the Commission therefore view the fact that, in principle, it lacks the power to regulate product specifications for markets outside the European internal market?
2) How does the Commission intend to get around the resulting de facto export ban in third countries such as Australia that, owing to strict packaging and labelling regulations, will not allow track-and-trace coding?
3) ‘What specific measures will the Commission take to prevent this de facto ban?’
Tracking an export ban
