With a circular published on 5 September, the French government lowers from ten to four the number of cartons of cigarettes an individual is allowed to bring into the country from the border-free area without customs formalities. Paris has thus gone back on its easing of the legislation in May 2013 in the wake of an EU Court of Justice ruling of 14 March 2013 censuring it for non-compliance with EU legislation (Case C-216/11).
The new circular represents a serious…
Price: Advantage in border regions
By restricting the import of tobacco products, the French government hopes to stem the parallel market for tobacco. The obvious reason is that tobacco prices are particularly high in France. The average price of a pack of cigarettes in France is €7, compared with €5 in Germany, Belgium and Italy, €4.30 in Spain and as little as €2.70 in Andorra. Smokers are quick to do the math and for residents of border regions, there is a certain temptation…