The Flow Of Cigarettes From Algeria To France Decreased By 78%

A recent study prepared by the KPMG Studies Office on the consumption of illegal cigarettes and their flow to 30 European countries revealed that inflows from Algeria to France decreased by 78%, to reach 0.4 billion cigarettes during 2020, knowing that the total of non-domestic cigarettes consumed in France reached 15.44 billion cigarettes, prompting Philip Morris International to call upon representatives of the public and private sectors to redouble joint efforts to combat the illicit trade of cigarettes.

The report also indicates that the consumption of counterfeit cigarettes recorded an increase of more than 600% in France during 2020, as the share of illegal cigarettes consumed in the 27 European Union countries increased, reaching 7.8% of the volume of consumption during 2020, or 34.2 billion cigarettes.

This increase in illegal cigarettes is due to the unprecedented rise of 87% in the consumption of counterfeit cigarettes, which includes smuggled cigarettes, counterfeit cigarettes and illegal white cigarettes, and the tax losses incurred by EU governments are currently 8.5 billion euros during 2020.

The KPMG company’s report indicates that the significant decrease in the quantities of illegal cigarettes imported from Algeria to France is due to the decrease in the number of air and sea flights between France and Algeria after the closure of the borders imposed by the Covid-19 crisis, which confirms that the flows from Algeria are mainly related to the movement of millions of people and passengers who travel annually from both sides of the Mediterranean and who carry several packages.

The number of passengers between France and Algeria witnessed a 75% decrease during 2020 compared to 2019, which contributed greatly to the decrease in the flow of cigarettes from Algeria to illegal marketing cells at the French level.

In this context, Christian Akiki, Philip Morris Development CEO in Algeria, said: “As part of efforts to combat illegal trade, Philip Morris International continues its important investment in supply chain control by taking prevention and protection measures and adopting the latest technologies in the field of control. traceability, and has strict protocols applicable to all customers and suppliers”.

It should be noted that the availability of cheap and unregulated illicit cigarettes on the black market precludes efforts to reduce the prevalence of smoking and discourage young people from smoking, and the illicit trade must be eliminated wherever it exists for Philip Morris International to succeed in its mission to build A smoke-free future around the world. To tackle the illicit tobacco trade, Philip Morris International works closely with a wide range of law enforcement and private actors around the world to identify and stop counterfeiting and smuggling.

The company recently announced the launch of the third phase of financing for its global initiative PMI IMPACT, which supports third-party projects aimed at curbing or preventing illicit trade and which creates an enabling environment for public and private sectors to combat illicit trade in its many forms.

Philip Morris International is leading a shift in the tobacco industry for a smoke-free future and the replacement of cigarettes with smoke-free products as a better alternative for adults who continue to smoke.

As of March 31, 2021, the company’s products with unburned materials became available for sale in the global markets, as we find them today available in 66 countries, and the company’s statistics indicate that about 14 million adults from all over the world have already switched to using IQOS products and they stopped smoking.