Austrian Health Minister Maria Rauch-Kallat has announced that all packs of cigarettes will cost a minimum of 3.25 euros as of mid-May.

That means that the price of many discount brands will shoot up. She justified the decision to establish a floor price for cigarettes on grounds of public health, maintaining that young people would smoke less if cigarettes cost more. The EU Commission, however, claims that a minimum price for cigarettes is illegal on grounds of competition. EU Tax Commissioner Laszlo Kovacs has warned that the EU Commission will begin proceedings against Austria if the government implements legislation passed by parliament in March.