The European Commission has taken decisions concerning 18 infringement procedures against 13 EU Member States. The Commission has decided to refer Austria and Ireland to the Court of Justice for fixing minimum retail prices for cigarettes.

The Commission takes the view, based on ECJ case law, that such minimum prices infringe Community law, distort competition and benefit only manufacturers by safeguarding their profit margins. To achieve the objective of reducing tobacco consumption, the Commission advocates increasing the excise duty on cigarettes.

Further information on the Irish infringement case is available at http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/08/148&format=HTML&aged=0&language=en&guiLanguage=en.