The black market for cigarettes dropped to a level of 14.9% of the total market in July compared to 16.9% in May, according to the market research company Novel Research.

The north-east region, which includes six counties in Moldova, remains the most affected area in the country.

The level recorded in July is below the average of 16% from 2015, as well as below the average of the last five years of about 15%. Reports on the black market for cigarettes are made every two months.

Although the black market dropped by 2 percentage points, the illegal trade with cigarettes in Romania remains above the EU average level of 10%.

The “cheap whites”, unbranded cigarettes of uncertain origins, account for almost 60% of the total black market. The products from Moldova, Ukraine, and Serbia have shares of 15.7%, 16.5%, respectively 1.8%.

editor@romania-insider.com