A protocol on banning the illicit tobacco trade is one of the priorities that the European Commission expects Bosnian authorities to meet, European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety Vytenis Andriukaitis told N1.

The European Union's official urged the government of Bosnia and Herzegovina not only to introduce a framework on the tobacco market but also to ratify a protocol to eliminate illicit trade of tobacco, “because it is about smoking, corruption and cigarette smuggling,” said the Commissioner.

Speaking on the sidelines of the 4th International Conference on Tobacco Control in Bucharest, Andriukaitis pointed out the document adoption depends solely on Bosnian authorities.

The country has to have a functional monitoring system, he stressed, to adequately supervise the tobacco trade. Therefore, the countries aspiring to join the European Union should meet the obligations and ratify the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products, added the Commissioner.

According to independent studies, almost one half of Bosnian adult population consumes cigarettes, about 1,200,600 of them. The European Commission's officials believe that additional taxes on tobacco would significantly reduce the number of smokers.