The EU is preparing for new steps against new tobacco products

The Council of the European Union on Tuesday approved conclusions setting out policy guidelines and priorities for further reforms in two key areas of EU tax policy, the future development of EU administrative cooperation and the structure and rate of excise duty on tobacco products. In both areas, he called on the European Commission to put forward further legislative proposals because the current legislation needed to be supplemented.

The Council, representing the governments of the member states, recalled that EU administrative cooperation helps national tax authorities to collect and retain tax revenue. Close co-operation between these bodies is also essential to detect and curb tax fraud, they wrote.