Romania should transpose EU Directive 40/2014 on tobacco into national legislation by May 20, 2016, the Health Ministry said early February.
The main issues covered by the bill are the banning of menthol and flavored cigarettes, the requirement of larger health warnings on packaging, banning online sales of cigarettes, as well as stricter rules for electronic cigarettes and plant-based smoking products.
Even though the law is estimated to become effective as of May 20, 2016, the tobacco industry has one year to conform.
The implementation of the EU tobacco products directive would cost the three large tobacco producers in Romania – JTI, BAT and Philip Morris – between EUR9 million and EUR35 million, JTI communications manager Gilda Lazar said recently.
The tobacco industry is the second largest tax payer in Romania after the oil industry. In 2014, the tobacco industry contributed around EUR2.7 billion to the state budget, or 1.75% of GDP and 12.5% of total budget revenues.
Romania recently passed a law, which is set to take effect on March 16, banning smoking in all enclosed public spaces including restaurants, bars and cafes. Over 1.2 billion packs of cigarettes were sold in Romania last year.