TobaccoReporter logo

Tag: Cyprus

  • Cyprus Kiosk Owners Ask for Tobacco Exemption

    Cyprus Kiosk Owners Ask for Tobacco Exemption

    Kiosk owners in Cyprus urged the finance ministry to seek an exemption from the EU’s planned tobacco tax hike, warning the measure would devastate small businesses and fuel smuggling across the island’s divide. Under the directive due in January 2028, cigarette prices would rise from €4.70 to €7 per pack, rolling tobacco from €7 to €13, and, for the first time, e-cigarettes, heated tobacco, and nicotine pouches would be taxed, effectively doubling their prices.

    The kiosk owners’ association, Sykade, told parliament’s commerce committee that half of kiosk revenues come from tobacco sales. It estimates 126 million cigarettes and 162 tons of tobacco are already smuggled annually from the north, costing the state at least €50 million in lost tax revenue. With 600 kiosks closed in the past decade, Sykade warned further hikes would mean closures, unemployment, and declining state income.

    Cyprus has one of Europe’s highest smoking rates at 34%, compared to the EU’s goal of reducing prevalence below 5% by 2040.

  • EU Tobacco Tax Would Worsen Cyprus’ €22M Illicit Losses

    EU Tobacco Tax Would Worsen Cyprus’ €22M Illicit Losses

    Cyprus joins 11 other EU member states in opposing the European Commission’s plan to dramatically increase tobacco taxes, as officials warned the move could worsen the country’s growing illicit cigarette trade, which already costs €22 million annually in lost revenue. At 29%, Cyprus has the seventh-highest smoking rate in the EU.

    The proposal, discussed at the Economic and Financial Affairs Council in Luxembourg, would nearly triple minimum excise duties on cigarettes and, for the first time, introduce EU-wide levies on e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products. Under the plan, minimum cigarette taxes would rise from €90 to €215 per 1,000 cigarettes, pushing the price of a pack in Cyprus from €4.50 to as much as €7.50, while hand-rolling tobacco would almost double in cost. Next-generation nicotine products would face a 45% minimum tax from 2028, increasing to €88 per 1,000 units by 2032.

    Cyprus already faces a mounting smuggling crisis, with illicit cigarette consumption rising to 14.3% in 2024, up from 11% the previous year—equal to 130 million illegal cigarettes consumed. Across the EU, illicit consumption reached 38.9 billion cigarettes, causing €14.9 billion in lost revenue.

  • Cyprus Cigar Shortage Nearing End

    Cyprus Cigar Shortage Nearing End

    Retailers in Cyprus have been assured that the nation’s cigar shortage, particularly cigarillos, will soon come to an end. Phileleftheros reported that for the last month consumers were finding the most popular brands out of stock, leading them to purchase alternative brands, which led to depleted stocks across the board. Customers even resorted to calling stores in advance to reserve cigars and cigarillos.

    This past year saw limited availability of cigars and cigarillos from Cuba, from which Cyprus imports more than half of its product. Cuban cigars account for €41 million of the €52 million of cigars Cyprus imports. A second factor in the shortage came from changes implemented by the European Union regarding the traceability of tobacco products. Starting in 2020, these changes were applied to cigarettes, and from last year, cigars and cigarillos were also included. According to the new regulations, the packaging of these products must feature a unique marking that must be scanned with every transaction.

    However, both of these issues appear to have been resolved. Phileleftheros learned that large shipments of cigars and cigarillos have already been imported into Cyprus, and these products are expected to be back on the shelves beginning today (April 7).

  • Illicit Smokes Top 10 Percent in Cyprus

    Illicit Smokes Top 10 Percent in Cyprus

    Photo: Gelia

    Illegal cigarette consumption in Cyprus reached 11 percent of the total market in 2023, reports Philenews, citing a KPMG report commissioned by Philip Morris International.

    Despite a slight decrease in the percentage of illegal cigarette consumption since the previous report, the government still missed out on €18 million ($19.49 million) in tax receipts due to illicit tobacco trade in 2023.

    Cypriots smoked an estimated 100 million illegal cigarettes during 2023, most of which were believed to originate from the northern part of the island, where the Republic of Cyprus does not exercise control.

    Outflows of illicit cigarettes from Cyprus rose by 3 percent compared to 2022, with increased outflows to smaller markets.

    This increase was partially offset by reduced outflows to the United Kingdom, although it remains the primary destination for illegal cigarette outflows from Cyprus in 2023.

    At the EU level, smokers consumed more than 35 billion illegal cigarettes in 2023, accounting for 8.3 percent of the trading bloc’s consumption.

    Illegal cigarette consumption has been increasing for five consecutive years in Europe, reaching 52.2 billion cigarettes in the 38 countries included in the study.

    EU governments lost an estimated €11.6 billion in tax revenue in 2023 compared to €11.3 billion in 2022.

    The report notes that the increase in counterfeit cigarette consumption across Europe, primarily driven by the U.K. and Ukraine, is now combined with growth in all other categories of illegal trade.

    The recovery of legal cross-border quantities following the lifting of Covid-19 travel restrictions in 2022 has pushed overall nondomestic consumption in the 38 European countries studied to its highest recorded level (15.5 percent), equating to more than one in six cigarettes.

  • Cyprus: One in Three Smokes

    Cyprus: One in Three Smokes

    Image: eyegelb

    About one-third of Cyprus residents smoke, according to statistics from Marc, a research company, reports The Cyprus Mail.

    Marc interviewed 801 households across Cyprus, finding that 30.1 percent of respondents are smokers. The research was done on behalf of Philip Morris Cyprus.

    The number of smokers last year was 31.3 percent.

    Though the number of smokers remains high, about 90 percent of respondents said they are concerned about the health effects of smoking, and 80 percent of smokers said their main motivation for quitting would be the impact quitting would have on their health and physical condition. Only 22 percent of smokers stated that they are fully informed about available alternatives, and 81 percent said information should be available to them.

  • Cyprus Government to Ban Flavored HTPs

    Cyprus Government to Ban Flavored HTPs

    Image: Arid Ocean

    The Cyprus government is moving to ban the sale of flavored heated-tobacco products (HTPs) following the Ministerial Council’s decision to adopt the relevant European legislation, according to In-Cyprus.

    HTPs still allowed on the market will have to apply special warning labels and images to packaging, which will align the packaging with that of conventional cigarettes.

    The aim of these changes is to “harmonize national legislation with European directives, as today’s Ministerial Council approved an amendment to regulations regarding the withdrawal of certain exemptions for heated-tobacco products.”

    The council decided on the “extension of the ban on the sale of tobacco products with characteristic aroma/flavor or containing aromatic substances in any of their ingredients and on heated-tobacco products.”

    “It was also decided to include verbal warnings/notifications about the harmful effects of smoking on the packaging of heated-tobacco products. These warnings will be accompanied by deterrent images.”

    “In the legislation for smoking control, established in 2017, these products were exempted, and the sale of conventional cigarettes and rolling tobacco that contained aromatic substances in their ingredients was prohibited,” said Health Minister Popi Kanari. “With these regulatory amendments, the sale of heated-tobacco products containing aromatic substances in any of their ingredients is prohibited beyond conventional cigarettes and rolling tobacco.”

    “The amendment does not apply to vaping products that contain liquid but only to the category involving heated-tobacco products in which cigarettes with aromatic substances are placed,” said Kanari.

  • Cyprus Minors Have Access to Nicotine-Free Cigs

    Cyprus Minors Have Access to Nicotine-Free Cigs

    Image: Vlad | Adobe Stock

    Minors in Cyprus have access to nicotine-free cigarettes due to ambiguity in the 2017 tobacco control legislation, reports In-Cyprus.

    Nicotine-free products are easily accessible, on kiosk stalls next to cash registers and separate from other tobacco products as well as in cafes. The products have attractive packaging and are available in a variety of fruit flavors.

    Over a year ago, the Cyprus Addiction Prevention Authority wrote to the Legal Service requesting an opinion on the nicotine-free tobacco products but did not receive a reply.

    According to the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs, 16-year-old students in Cyprus reduced conventional cigarette use and switched to new tobacco products like hookah and e-cigarettes in 2019. Daily use of e-cigarettes by students in Cyprus is 4.6 percent compared to the average of 3.1 percent.

  • BAT Launching glo in Cyprus

    BAT Launching glo in Cyprus

    Photo: Tobacco Reporter Archive

    BAT is launching its tobacco-heating product glo in Cyprus, according to The Cyprus Mail. The launch is expected to contribute to the economy and society in Cyprus, boosting employment with new jobs while supporting the country’s network of retailers and distributors.

    “BAT is on a transformation journey to build ‘A Better Tomorrow’ by reducing the health impact of our business,” said Vitalii Kochenko, general manager of BAT Hellas responsible for the markets of Cyprus, Greece, Malta and Israel. “We are proud to bring innovation and technology to the local market with BAT’s tobacco-heating product, putting Cyprus amongst the markets that the international group of BAT has chosen for this launch.”

    Glo hyper+ in Cyprus is BAT’s latest iteration of its tobacco-heating product. The device combines BAT’s latest tobacco-heating technology, induction heating, and will be accompanied by neo demi slim sticks, which are specially designed to be used with this device.