Tobacco products: The quantity of cigarettes imported from other EU countries could fall significantly

Smoking is bad for your health - and an expensive thing. That's why some smokers shop just beyond the border. In the future, however, he should be allowed to bring fewer butts with him than now.

Some cartons of branded cigarettes cost 94 euros in Germany - in Luxembourg, Austria, Poland and the Czech Republic, cigarette sticks are cheaper. Photo: Sven Hoppe/dpa

Brussels. In the future, smokers could be allowed to bring significantly fewer cigarettes from other European countries than before. As a paper from the Irish Presidency of the EU Member States shows, in the future only one carton of cigarettes will be allowed to be imported for personal use - i.e. 200 cigarettes. So far there are four cartons of cigarettes. The EU finance ministers could decide on this regulation on Monday afternoon.

Some EU states had advocated an exemption limit of two cartons (400 cigarettes), others for one. According to the document, the number 200 is now fixed. However, each EU state can weaken the requirement and increase the exemption limit.

It's about the EU directive on tobacco taxes, the requirements of which are to be transposed into national law by the member states next year. The rules should apply from the beginning of 2028.

The stricter regulations could reduce the amount of cigarettes brought into Germany from Luxembourg, Austria, Poland or the Czech Republic - at least that's the theory. Many smokers stock up on cigarettes just across the border, which are cheaper in these EU countries.

However, it is questionable whether the stricter rule would increase legal domestic consumption. Representatives of the tobacco industry fear that such a regulation could further stimulate the black market - the willingness of smokers to buy cigarettes illegally in their backyard could increase.

The EU directive also provides for new minimum values ​​for the taxation of cigarettes. However, this has no consequences for Germany because the values ​​here are above the new EU minimum requirements - so they do not need to be increased.

The rule change also affects e-cigarettes

The regulations also contain requirements for e-cigarettes. Here too, the European minimum taxation is increasing, and this has no consequences for Germany either, as the tax level in this country is already quite high. However, the new EU regulations have an impact on vapers who like to shop in other EU countries: The amount of liquids that can be brought into the country from other European countries should decrease significantly, from the current 100 milliliters to 40 milliliters.

This is met with approval in the German vaping industry. “40 milliliters is a fair amount for travel,” says the chairman of the Alliance for Tobacco-Free Enjoyment (BfTG), Dustin Dahlmann. “A lower guideline amount can help curb tax-driven bulk purchases in neighboring countries.” Anyone who pays taxes and secures jobs in this country needs fair competitive conditions. “Regular specialist retailers and the state benefit equally from this,” says Dahlmann.