The government is implementing the eTobacco project to streamline information on tobacco production and imports in Ukraine

The State Service of Ukraine for Food Safety and Consumer Protection, together with the Ministry of Digital Transformation and the Ministry of Health, has started digitalizing the production and import of tobacco in Ukraine - the first meeting of the working group on the creation of the eTobacco project took place. The project envisages the launch of a special portal where manufacturers and importers will submit information on the ingredients of tobacco products and emissions from their use. Consumers will be able to access the information that is important to them.

The eTobacco portal will ensure transparency in the circulation of tobacco products, allow the state to control their quality, have a clear list of manufacturers and importers of tobacco products in Ukraine, and fight the black market. The eTobacco initiative is being developed within the framework of the Digital Transformation Support Project with the support of USAID and UK Dev. The project partner is the East Europe Foundation.

"The world is fighting tobacco addiction, and our country is no exception. We must create conditions to protect the health of our citizens. The State Service of Ukraine on Food Safety and Consumer Protection will publish data on the ingredients of tobacco products that are not confidential on the Portal. This will allow people to choose what to consume and whether to consume it at all," emphasized Serhiy Tkachuk, Head of the State Service of Ukraine on Food Safety and Consumer Protection.

"The streamlining and transformation of the tobacco industry in Ukraine is one of the elements of European integration. On this path, we have a number of obligations under the 40th Convention. In 2021, the Verkhovna Rada adopted Law No. 1978 on the protection of public health from the harmful effects of tobacco, and at the same time adopted provisions on the need to publish important information. In pursuance of this Law and the relevant provisions, the State Service of Ukraine on Food Safety and Consumer Protection, together with the Eastern Europe Foundation, launched a project that provides for digitalization, collection of information on manufacturers and importers of tobacco products in Ukraine, product content, etc.", said Solomiya Starosolska, Advisor to the Head of the State Service of Ukraine on Food Safety and Consumer Protection on Strategic Development and Digitalization, representative of the Eastern Europe Foundation.

The eTobacco portal should be launched in February 2025, as according to the law, manufacturers must enter data into the common database by February 1. At the same time, the legislation is being finalized. In the future, the Ukrainian system will be synchronized with the European one.

"We have an excellent example of the EU Common Entry Gat system, which works in the EU to ensure information confidentiality. It has reduced the administrative burden on companies and government agencies and simplified data analysis. Manufacturers and importers of products submit ingredient reports electronically using modern information security tools," emphasized Zoryana Stetsiuk, Director of the Directorate for Public Services Reengineering at the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine.

The eTobacco portal is, in particular, a mechanism for economic regulation of the market. The set of measures provided for by the legislation will support responsible market players who respect their consumers and the state, according to representatives of the tobacco industry.

"The meeting emphasizes the importance and urgency of implementing an electronic reporting system for tobacco product ingredients. This is an additional step towards Ukraine's integration into the EU, as the electronic system is being introduced as part of the approximation of national legislation to the European one. One of the cornerstone principles of this system is the protection of intellectual property rights to tobacco product formulations, which manufacturers are required to disclose in accordance with the law," said Svitlana Yevdoshenko, representative of the Association "Ukrtiutiun".

Industry representatives drew attention to the need for sufficient transition periods to familiarize themselves with and establish productive use of this innovative system for Ukraine by manufacturers and importers of tobacco products after its official introduction.

The launch of the eTobacco digital project will provide the state with an effective mechanism to ensure that products comply with generally accepted European standards.