The Convention Secretariat would like to congratulate Austria on becoming the fifth Party to the Protocol.
On 3 November, Austria deposited its instrument of acceptance of the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products. Austria, the first of the EU member states to do so, followed Mongolia, Nicaragua, Uruguay and Gabon.
The first protocol to the WHO FCTC was adopted on 12 November 2012 at the fifth session of the Conference of the Parties in Seoul, Republic of Korea. It is now open for ratification, acceptance, approval, formal confirmation or accession by all WHO FCTC Parties. It will enter into force upon ratification by 40 Parties.
The Protocol aims at eliminating all forms of illicit trade in tobacco products. It provides tools for preventing and counteracting illicit trade, including a licence for the manufacture, import and export of tobacco products and manufacturing equipment and a tracking and tracing system for all tobacco products that are manufactured in or imported onto its territory.