LAUSANNE, Switzerland -- (BUSINESS WIRE) --

Philip Morris International Inc.’s (PMI) (NYSE/ Paris Euronext: PM) EU Region President Drago Azinovic made the following comment regarding the adoption by the European Parliament of the Tobacco Products Directive (TPD):

“The Tobacco Products Directive adopted by the European Parliament today represents a worrying departure from the EU’s basic standards of proportionate, evidenced-based policymaking, which will further erode intellectual property rights and undermine the EU Charter where these rights are protected.

“Instead of further harmonizing the internal market, a stated objective of the Directive, measures in the TPD will make the EU less competitive and be a gift for the criminals profiting from the black market in tobacco. This will be a blow to the hundreds of thousands of people working in the legal industry and member state governments now faced with filling budget gaps.”

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About Philip Morris International Inc.

Philip Morris International Inc. (PMI) is the leading international tobacco company, with seven of the world’s top 15 international brands, including Marlboro, the number one cigarette brand worldwide. PMI’s products are sold in more than 180 markets. In 2013, the company held an estimated 15.7% share of the total international cigarette market outside of the U.S., or 28.2% excluding the People’s Republic of China and the U.S. For more information, see www.pmi.com.

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