For smokers in France, the price of cigarettes has risen substantially over the past several years, but the explanation is more complicated than claims that the government and tobacco companies secretly work together to force prices higher. Cigarette prices are shaped by a combination of manufacturer pricing decisions, taxation and a formal state approval system. France has also deliberately used higher tobacco prices as part of a wider public-health strategy intended to reduce smoking.
The government announced a policy path toward a €12 reference level in 2025 and approximately €13
by 2027. That makes increasingly expensive cigarettes a stated policy objective rather than a hidden arrangement. The current system is unusual compared with products whose prices can vary significantly from one shop to another. Under French law, manufacturers and approved suppliers determine the retail price they want for a tobacco product, but that price must go through an official homologation procedure before being applied.
The French Customs administration publishes regularly updated lists of approved retail prices for individual tobacco products. The law also establishes a single retail price for each
