Retailers Join Paris Demonstration against Tobacco Plain Packs

Source from:  The Local France (fr) 04/03/2015

The National Federation of Retail Newsagents (NFRN) said it was supporting the French Confederation of Tobacconists by attending the retailers' demonstration held in Paris yesterday.

Retailers were uniting to call on the European Commission to halt plans by their respective Member States to adopt plain packaging for cigarettes.

NFRN national president Martyn Brown said: "This policy contravenes the EU's Internal Market rules and is most likely illegal under international law. We want the European Commission to intervene and stop this madness."

NFRN Ireland's Joe Sweeney added: "Ireland and the UK are already among the worst countries in Europe when it comes to illicit trade but our governments seem to want to ignore all warnings that plain packaging will be a boon to the organised crime groups that run the smuggling racket on these islands. We are now calling on the European Commission to step in and put an end to this madness before it is too late." Enditem