Study Forum

Abstract

This chapter presents a case study on crime proofing of legislation. The case study regards the new EU Tobacco Products Directive. The study applied the crime proofing methodology to the draft version (submitted to the EU Parliament) in order to understand whether the new regulation may unintentionally have generated criminal opportunities. It revealed that some provisions, namely the ban on menthol and slim cigarettes, would significantly increase the crime risks of an enlargement of the illicit market. Eventually, the European Parliament did not vote for the ban of slim cigarettes which—according to the analysis—would play a key role in increasing ITTP risks. On the other hand, the entry into enforcement of the menthol ban was also planned only after a phase-out period of 4 years. It is impossible to say whether and how much this study persuaded European regulators. However, this exercise proved the relevance of the CPL methodology in crime prevention.