Albania

The law requires warnings on each unit packet and packaging of tobacco products.

The law meets FCTC Art. 11 with respect to warning labels on unit packaging.

The law requires warnings on each unit package and packaging of tobacco products. "Packet or pack" is defined as “any sealed box, bag, or container that holds tobacco products and is intended for retail sale” and therefore includes outside packaging.

The law meets FCTC Art. 11 with respect to warning labels on outside packaging.

The law requires warning messages to be written in Albanian.

The law meets FCTC Art. 11 with respect to warning text appearing in the principal language of the country.

The law requires health warnings to be printed so that they are not hidden, covered, or broken when opening the pack.

The law aligns with FCTC Art. 11 and the FCTC Art. 11 Guidelines with respect to warnings not being damaged or concealed when opening the pack.

The law requires health warnings to be printed so that they are not hidden or covered by other written or drawn material. The law also requires that health warnings not be printed on fiscal stamps and price stamps.

The law aligns with FCTC Art. 11 and the FCTC Art. 11 Guidelines with respect to a requirement that tax stamps or other required markings may not be placed where they may conceal warnings or messages.

Decision No. 7 requires the following constituents and emissions message on tobacco product packaging: “Tobacco contains over 70 substances that cause cancer.”  However, Decision No. 8 requires that either this message or one of the general warnings (“Smoking kills – quit now;” “Smoking kills”) occupy 50% of one lateral side, and requires that the messages be rotated so that they are regularly displayed. Because, at certain times, packs may display a general warning instead of a qualitative constituents and emissions message, the regulatory status code “No” is given. 

To align with FCTC Art. 11 and the FCTC Art. 11 Guidelines, the law should require qualitative constituents and emissions messages on packaging at all times.

The law does not prohibit the display of figures for emission yields. Rather, the law requires the display of the nicotine, tar, and carbon monoxide content in smoke to be displayed on the side panel of the package.

To align with FCTC Art. 11 and the FCTC Art. 11 Guidelines, the law should prohibit the display of figurative yields on tobacco product packaging as these figures can be misleading to consumers.

Plain packaging of tobacco products is not required. The FCTC Art. 11 Guidelines provide that Parties should consider adopting plain packaging measures that restrict or prohibit the use of logos, colors, brand images, or other promotional information on packaging other than brand and product names displayed in a standard color and font style. Plain packaging aims to reduce the appeal of tobacco products, to increase the noticeability of health warnings, and to reduce the ability of the packaging of tobacco products to mislead consumers about the harmful effects of smoking. 

There is a prohibition of the use on tobacco product packaging of "terms such as 'low tar content', 'light', 'ultra light', 'mild', or other similar expressions, signs, images, drawings, or elements that may mislead consumers into believing that the product is less harmful to health than other tobacco products.”

The law meets FCTC Art. 11 with respect to the use of terms, descriptors, or other signs that directly or indirectly create a false impression that a tobacco product is less harmful than other tobacco products.