The black market of cigarettes reached 10.4% of the total of consumption, in May this year, up by 9.8% in March, shows a study made by the research company Novel.According to data released by JTI on Monday, this is the highest level of smuggling since January 2020. The survey reveals that cigarette smuggling in May 2024 saw the highest increase in the Northeast, up 5.2 percentage points to 26.5%, followed by the Southeast (+2.6 percentage points to 7.4%), In terms of the origin of black market products, Duty Free continues to account for the largest share (36.3%), followed by the Republic of Moldova (up 7.4 p.p. to 23.3%) and Bulgaria (22.1%, up 1.6 p.p.). At the same time, the information centralized on the stopcontrabanda.ro platform, from the beginning of the year to date, shows that the authorities have seized some 34 million smuggled cigarettes, 75% of which in the south of the country. Compared to other European countries, there is a clear correlation between accessibility and the black market, with the highest rates in Ireland at 24.4% and France at 32.4%, according to the published statistics. In terms of penalties, in the first five months of the year, the Romanian Border Police seized about 1.3 million packs of cigarettes worth over 30 million lei. "During the period under review, border guards seized 6,300 kg of loose tobacco and 52 kg of hookah tobacco," said the inspector general of the Border Police, Police Superintendent Cornel-Laurian Stoica. Tobacco companies, big taxpayers, pay more than 20 billion lei annually to the state budget in excise duties, VAT and other taxes and contributions.
Faster declines in orders and output fail to dampen future outlook Reduced demand for inputs sees inflationary pressures cool... ...and supplier performance improve for the first time on record The Romanian manufacturing downturn deepened in March, as firms signalled a deterioration across all elements of the headline PMI. New orders and output decreased at faster […]
Digital services revenue is estimated to rise by 44%, expanding from 34% to nearly half (49%) of companies revenue by 2029, according to a report compiled from IDC surveys across Europe, Asia-Pacific region (APAC), and the Middle East demanded by Endava (NYSE ‘DAVA’), a leading technology services company combining world-class engineering, industry expertise, and a […]
On Monday, March 31, a detachment of the Romanian Air Force called "Carpathian Vipers" began executing an enhanced air policing mission in Lithuania. The mission will last four months, between April and July 2025. The "Carpathian Vipers" detachment, consisting of approximately 100 military personnel and four F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft, will carry out missions alongside […]
On Tuesday, April 1, controversial brothers and influencers Andrew and Tristan Tate left for Dubai after meeting with DIICOT prosecutors. Before they departed, the brothers mentioned that they would return to Romania within the legal period of two months, in accordance with the obligations of judicial control. "On April 1, 2025, Andrew Tate and Tristan […]
Wizz Air has officially opened its base at Bucharest Băneasa Airport, the capital’s secondary one, which will be served by an Airbus A321neo aircraft. An additional aircraft will also operate from Bucharest’s Henri Coandă Airport (Otopeni) from August 1, bringing the total number of aircraft based in Bucharest to 21 this summer, the carrier said. […]
A blood donation event will take place on Friday, April 4, at the Bucharest City Hall. Participation will be allowed only after phone confirmation from the organizers. Blood donation at the event is not remunerated, but each donor has the right to receive the results of the tests performed. They also receive meal vouchers worth […]
