Europe's Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) and Ukraine have signed an agreement to step up the fight against the illicit tobacco trade, the press service of the European Commission reported on Friday.
The agreement sets out a framework for practical cooperation between
OLAF and the Ukrainian authorities on measures to prevent and detect
cigarette smuggling, including, for example, information exchange
between the relevant authorities, and undertaking joint investigations.
The agreement was signed by Ukrainian Income and Tax Minister Oleksandr Klymenko and OLAF Director General Giovanni Kessler.
According to the European Commission, the illegal smuggling of
cigarettes and alcohol into the EU takes place mainly via its Eastern
border, causing over EUR 10 billion losses every year for the EU budget
and national budgets. It is therefore a priority for the European
Commission to tackle the influx of smuggled cigarettes coming from
Ukraine and other Eastern neighbors such as Russia, Moldova and Belarus.
