The EU Commission is taking Austria to the European Court of Justice because of the minimum price for cigarettes that Austrian law imposes, according to the Wiener Zeitung.

A similar complaint has been lodged against Ireland.
In a case against Greece in 1998, the Commission had ruled that minimum prices violated EU law. Taxes on cigarettes were said to be an adequate means of ensuring public health.
Similarly, in a case against France, the Commission had found that minimum prices violated EU law by limiting the freedom of action of cigarette producers and importers to set their own prices. (pi)