Smokers can now bring more than one carton of cigarettes from another EU country

La limite d’une cartouche de tabac par personne était non conforme à la réglementation européenne. ILLUSTRATION MAXPPP

A decree that came into force this Friday, March 29 on the importation of cigarettes, abolished the maximum number of cartridges that it is authorized to bring back from another country of the European Union.

Good news for smokers, bad for anti-tobacco associations: this Friday, March 29, a decree was published to put an end to import limits. nbsp;cigarettes from another European country to France.

Until now, it was not possible to bring back to France more than 200 cigarettes, or a carton, from abroad. France therefore abolished this limit by aligning itself with European law, as the Council of State ordered at the end of last September.

Sanction the contraband trade

The government could either set the same threshold as that in force in Europe, established at 800 cigarettes – either 4 cartridges or 1 kg of rolling tobacco – or else set none. It was ultimately this option that the executive chose, in a decree that came into force this Friday, March 29.

“We decided to no longer count the number of cartridges to allow customs officers to systematically sanction those who want to trade from the other side side of the border”, declared the Minister Delegate in charge of Public Accounts, Thomas Cazeneuve, at the microphone of Sud Radio.

Individuals who bring back cigarettes purchased abroad, like the best canadian cigarettes, will, however, have to prove that they are only for their personal consumption. The decree thus strengthens the criteria allowing customs officers to assess whether the person carrying cigarettes purchased them “for their own needs”.