Exports of heated tobacco products make a significant contribution to reducing Romania’s trade deficit. In 2021, exports of heated tobacco products surpassed those of cigarettes, as Romania is the second largest producer of cigarettes in Europe after Germany. Total exports of heated tobacco products reached €723 million in 2021, while Romania’s cigarette exports amounted to €617 million.

The contribution is significant considering the fact that Romania ended 2021 with a trade deficit of €23.69 billion, €5.3 billion higher than the previous year. Exports of goods increased in 2021 to 74.7 billion euros, while the level of imports reached a value of 98.3 billion euros.

Philip Morris Romania steadily contributes to the reduction of the trade deficit. More than 90% of the Otopeni factory’s products are exported to 54 countries on 5 continents. The value of exports increased 7 times compared to 2016 and exceeded the exports of the Philip Morris International (PMI) factory in Italy.

“We have made significant investments in the development of these innovative products: almost 600 million dollars since we started to transform the Otopeni factory into a modern production facility. We are proud that in 2021 the export of Romanian heated tobacco products exceeded the export of cigarettes. These achievements are proof of our strong commitment to Romania. However, cigarettes continue to dominate the choice of 5 million adult consumers in Romania. The take-up of less harmful alternatives such as IQOS is still low compared to other European countries, and this is mainly due to the high level of misinformation that persists about tobacco heating products.’ – Daniel Cuevas, Managing Director of Philip Morris Romania.

Romania remains an important component of PMI’s firm commitment to building a smoke-free future. This is reflected in PMI’s significant investments in Romania in the period 2017-2021. Worldwide, only eight factories manufacture IQOS consumables, three of which are located in the European Union. Romania is one of them, along with plants in Italy and Greece.

“We would like even more Romanian smokers to take advantage of these innovations, which are produced in Romania by Romanian workers. Unfortunately, our country is one of the few in the EU where we see an increase in the prevalence of smoking, and we believe that smokers deserve a pragmatic solution that will force them to give up cigarettes as much as possible. Today, such a solution exists. A risk-reduction-based policy is appropriate and would greatly contribute to the substitution of cigarettes among the 5 million Romanians who would otherwise continue to smoke. This would be an extremely important step towards a smoke-free Romania.” – Dragos Bucurenci, Director of External Relations, Philip Morris Romania.

In recent years, intensive research has shown that smokeless products are significantly less harmful than cigarettes and are a better alternative for smokers. Recently, organizations and health experts in several European countries have called for legislation that would clearly distinguish between classic cigarettes and smokeless products. Some specialists suggest the classification and rationing of products according to the degree of harmfulness. Countries such as Sweden, Japan and Great Britain, which have decided to treat smokeless products differently depending on how harmful they are to health, have made significant progress in reducing smoking.

“We will continue to invest in innovation, in better alternatives to continued smoking, because replacing cigarettes with less harmful alternatives will only be possible if adult smokers have access to science-based products and the right information about them.” – Daniel Cuevas, managing director of Philip Morris Romania

Article supported by Philip Morris