The European Commission announced that on behalf of the EU and its member states it signed the Protocol on the Elimination of the Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products. It was adopted by the Conference of the Parties to the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) with the EU acting as one of the Parties. The Protocol contains provisions on the control of the supply of tobacco products, and is an important part of a comprehensive tobacco control policy.

The Protocol on the Elimination of the Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products adopted by the Conference of the Parties to the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) was also signed by the European Commission on behalf of the EU and its member states. The Protocol forces the Parties to implement effective measures to eliminate the illicit manufacturing and trading of tobacco products, which causes losses, in the EU and Member States, of approximately €10 billion per year. In December 2011, Commission and industry discussed over the revision of the Tobacco Products Directive.

The Protocol contains provisions on the control of the supply of tobacco products. It requires all companies and persons engaged in the supply chain of tobacco, tobacco products and manufacturing equipment for making tobacco products to conduct due diligence on their customers, to ensure that sales to these customers are commensurate with legitimate demand. It also foresees the establishment of a global tracking and tracing regime, within five years of the entry into force of the Protocol, for all tobacco products.

The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) aims at reducing tobacco-related deaths and disease around the world in a comprehensive manner. The new protocol also contains the obligation to implement effective controls on tobacco and tobacco products in the Free Trade Zones. It will no longer be allowed to mix tobacco products with non-tobacco products when exporting the tobacco from a Free Zone.