Press Release: European Commissioner Šemeta opens high level conference on EU-US cooperation to tackle cigarette smuggling

Algirdas Šemeta, Commissioner for Taxation, Customs, Anti-Fraud and Audit, has opened a high-level conference in Dublin to reinforce EU-US cooperation in the fight against cigarette smuggling. The aim of the conference is to bring together the top experts in this field to see how transatlantic cooperation can be further strengthened when it comes to identifying and dismantling organised crime groups and undermining tobacco smugglers.

The illegal cigarette trade costs EU taxpayers an estimated €10 billion a year in lost revenue. It also contributes to greater problems, such as funding terrorism and organised crime. Given the global nature of the tobacco illegal trade, EU-US cooperation is vital to ensure the success of international operations to fight it. The Commission's Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) and the Member States already work closely with law enforcement agencies in the United States in tackling international cigarette smuggling, and a number of successful operations have resulted from this cooperation.