Tobacco.org

Macedonia is second in Europe according to tobacco consumption 

Macedonia is in second spot according to tobacco consumption per capita in Europe. Poland takes the top spot. According to data collected by the World Health Organisation (WHO), approximately 35% of the total population in Macedonia (700.000) smoke and the number of smokers constantly rises. Globally, trends prevail with regard to cutting down indoor or outdoor smoking.

WHO announced this recent data on the occasion of May 31 - World No Tobacco Day.

Macedonia observes May 31 with the logo "Youth Without Smoking - Cut the Network of Tobacco Advertising".

Latest global survey involving the youth, showed soaring tobacco consumption amongst adolescent girls in many countries. The increase is considered to be influenced by aggressive marketing of the tobacco industry.

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• Anti-smoking campaign underway in Macedonia  

The Macedonian government amended the Law on Tobacco and Tobacco Products and the Antismoking Law last month, launching an intensified nationwide campaign against smoking. Starting in mid-2009, cigarette packs will be required to depict photos of smokers' diseased organs. . . .

The government, in addition, amended the Antismoking Law to outlaw lighting up on all public premises, including those that were not covered by the 2006 law. The ban comes after the previous policy of setting aside separate tables for smokers in restaurants and other establishments proved ineffective at improving air quality for nonsmokers.

Currently, almost every restaurant or bar in Macedonia has designated smokers' and nonsmokers' tables. However, the smoke-filled atmosphere generally is unchanged

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Greek customs officials charged over cigarette scam 

Three Greek customs officials were charged Thursday with helping a cigarette smuggling scam and defrauding the Greek state of an estimated ¤100 million (US$144 million) in lost taxes, authorities said.

The three officials work at the Evzoni border crossing with Macedonia and were all charged with fraud and falsifying and concealing financial documents _ criminal offenses that carry a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison.

They are accused of falsifying papers to allow the tax-free export of 55 container loads of tobacco, cigarette paper and filters bound for Germany and Austria.

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• Customs Administration, Japan Tobacco International sign MoU 

Macedonian Customs Administration and Japan Tobacco International signed Thursday a Memorandum of Understanding.

The basic goal of the MoU, signed by Customs Administration Director Vanco Kargov and Japan Tobacco International Vice-President of Corporative Affairs Kent Brown, is promotion of mutual cooperation in joint activities in dealing with illegal trade with tobacco products, especially in the part of protection of legal tobacco trade, prevention of smuggling of original tobacco products, as well as prevention of illegal production, trade and distribution of falsified tobacco products.

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Passive Smoking – There’s Nothing Passive About It 

Skopje-- The Ministry of Health and USAID have launched an innovative public information campaign tackling the subject of passive smoking; that is, the effects that smoking has on other people in the environment. This is the first time in Macedonia the issue of passive smoking has been raised in an advertising campaign. The message is clear: there’s nothing passive about it – passive smoking is harmful to health. . . .

Speaking at the launch of the campaign, USAID Mission Director Dick Goldman said, “For years research has shown that exposure to second-hand smoke not only worsens existing health problems but also directly harms health. For instance, passive smoking can increase your risk of lung cancer by 20 to 30%, heart disease by 25 to 35%, and stroke by 80%. The air in a room where people are smoking contains around 4,000 chemicals, some of which are known to cause cancer.  The facts are clear: passive smoking is a deadly serious threat to people’s health and well-being.”

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Macedonian authorities adopt new anti-smoking rules 

A new law that restricts smoking in many public areas went into effect in Macedonia on Monday (2 January). Smoking is now prohibited on public transportation, in schools, universities and at indoor sporting and cultural events. Government offices, bars and restaurants will have to set up non-smoking areas.

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• Macedonian Smokers Say Health Drive Is A Drag 

Since the start of 2006, Skopje has finally started enforcing an anti-smoking law which had previously been largely ignored since being passed more than ten years ago.

The law bans smoking in all public places outside designated areas, outlaws advertisements for cigarettes and curbs the sale of cigarettes to anyone under the age of 18 and in outlets near schools and hospitals.

Businesses found to be in violation of this legislation can face fines of 100,000 to 250,000 denars, between about 1,940 and 4,850 United States dollars. Individuals who break the law can be charged between 5,000 and 15,000 denars, around 100 to 300 dollars.

The law, passed in 1995, remained a dead letter owing to the power of the tobacco lobby in this tobacco-growing country.

Macedonia has also signed an international convention for the control of tobacco, though the parliament has yet to ratify it. . . .

Government health inspectors are less happy, saying the law is incomplete and unclear.

They say it has failed to specify the size and appearance of special smoking areas and how smoking and non-smoking areas in caf?s should be separated.

The proprietors of such businesses are equally mystified. . . .

the change has already come to other areas.

In hospitals there are no more ashtrays . . .

The same change is apparent in government offices.

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• Ban on Public Smoking Enforced Today in Macedonia 

A law banning smoking in public places and advertisement of cigarettes is enforced today in Macedonia.

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• Ministry of health and USAID promote passive smoking campaign 

Passive smoking – there's nothing passive about it is the motto of the campaign promoted Monday by the Macedonian Ministry of Health and USAID.

Minister of Health Vlado Dimov said that passive is not less dangerous than the active smoking.

"In direction to decrease in smoking the Government adopted a strategy for tobacco control and the Law on Protection against Smoking which is due for implementation in January 1, 2006. The Government also adopted the changes in the Health Care Law for increase in the price of cigarettes, " Dimov said. . . .

Campaign objectives are to increase knowledge of the major health effects of passive smoking, specifically regarding children, to encourage smokers not to expose others to the damaging health effects of their smoking, to encourage non-smokers to be less accepting of passive smoking, to increase the number of smokers likely to seriously consider quitting or making a quit attempt and to encourage ex-smokers not to start smoking again.

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40% of Cigarettes in Macedonia Smuggled 

t. Smuggled cigarettes occupy 25% to 80% share from the markets of Southeastern European states, and 40% of the cigarettes at the Macedonian market had been imported illegally, a publication in today’s Romanian Gandul newspaper reads. According to the edition, Albania ranks first in smuggled cigarettes with a share of 80%, followed by Bosnia and Herzegovina with 47%, Macedonia – 40%, Bulgaria – 38%, Serbia and Montenegro – 37%, and Romania and Croatia – 24%.

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Ljubco Georgievski Refutes Being Involved in Contraband of Cigarettes from Bulgaria 

The ex Macedonian Prime Minister Ljubco Georgievski refuted the claims of the Bulgarian media for his participation in cigarettes contraband and his relations with Ivan Todorov A.K.A. the Doctor, announced for FOCUS Agency the Serbian Beta.

“I don’t know the Doctor and I have never met him”, announced Georgievski in response of claims made by the media in Sofia that he and the Deputy Chiarman of the Democratic Party of Albanians Menduh Taci were involved in cigarettes contraband.

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Macedonain Ministry of Interior Has no Proofs for Macedonians Involved in Cigarette Smuggling 

Macedonian Police cooperated with the Bulgarian Ministry of Interior for the cracking the cigarette smuggling channel. We meet some of the requirements of the Bulgarian Ministry of Interior, spokesperson of the Macedonian Ministry of Interior Goran Pavlovski announced for FOCUS News Agency. According to Pavlovski, there is no new information about the case. There are no proofs that Macedonian citizens were involved in the cigarette smuggling, Goran Pavlovski stated.

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Vreme: Macedonia Was Part of a Channel for Contraband Cigarettes 

Macedonia was part of a channel for traffic of contraband cigarettes, the Skopje newspaper Vreme reads. Cigarettes were transported by a plane from Varna, by plane or by truck in Serbia and Montenegro, Macedonia and Greece. The research was investigated by the British government and the British Embassy to Bulgaria because the biggest part of the contraband cigarettes were exported to Great Britain in the period of 1997-2003.

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Macedonian Tobacco Sharks Creep over Bulgaria 

Macedonian newspaper Vecher has accused a Bulgarian firm of underhand dealings with Macedonian tobacco "crooks".

Vecher was cited as saying that Tivamex, based in Bulgaria's Stara Zagora city, received in February a transaction of more than EUR 8 M from tobacco shareholders in Macedonia.

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Macedonian Tobacco Factories are Being Privatized 

The Government obligated the Ministry of economy to send a recommendation to the Ministry of finance and the Public Revenue Office to start a bankruptcy proceedings for the tobacco plants AD "Niko Doaga" from Krusevo, "Talja Bikova" from Gevgelija and TK "Boro Petrusevski-Papucar" from Kumanovo...

The tobacco plant from Prilep seeks for a strategic investor, while "Jugotutun", although privatized already, negotiates at the moment with a domestic investor for it's taking over.

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