Philip Morris International (PMI) was truly happy they had been back in the Bulgarian cigarette market for a year and had already had 6.8% of market..

August 2, 2007 - Philip Morris International (PMI) was truly happy they had been back in the Bulgarian cigarette market for a year and had already had 6.8% of market share. Unfortunately for Bulgarians smoking rates are at very high levels and continue to rise. It should help that Bulgaria became a member of the European Union in 2007 and has ratified the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.(In May 2003, the member countries of the World Health Organization adopted a historic tobacco control treaty, the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), which has the potential to reduce this terrible toll tobacco use takes on human life. Tobacco kills almost five million people each year. If current trends continue, it is projected to kill 10 million people a year by 2020, with 70% of those deaths occurring in developing countries.) August 9, 2007 - A one-third rise in excise proposed. The Bulgarian Finance Ministry has proposed that cigarette excise should rise by 33 per cent next year, according to a news.dnevnik report. The rise is aimed at bringing the country’s cigarette taxes closer to the minimum rate applicable within the EU, though apparently at a faster rate than was originally agreed. (Tobacco Reporter) Click on image to enlarge..