The Connexion reports that European Union countries have lifted restrictions on the number of cigarettes they can buy in other EU countries, which authorities say will make it easier to deter smugglers.

The limit of one pack of cigarettes (200 sticks or 10 packs) per person was lifted on March 29, in line with EU rules.

While authorities claim the change will make it easier to crack down on cigarette smuggling, tobacco-traders and newsagents, especially in border areas, are not happy about it.

French tobacconists close to the Spanish border are worried about too much competition because Spain has much lower cigarette taxes than France. In Spain, two packs of cigarettes (400 sticks or 20 packs) cost 107 euros, half the price of the same pack in France.

"This is the end for us, we've lost half our customers," claimed one tobacconist.

French newsagents and tobacconists have called for price standardisation across the EU, and anti-tobacco campaigners have also criticised the change.

"With this change, the Council of Europe and the Council of State have decided that health is not so important, what is important is the freedom of the market," said Bertrand Dautzenberg, a pulmonologist and president of the Paris Sans Tabac association.

He said lifting the restrictions was effectively "telling consumers to go to a cheaper country to buy cigarettes". The message, he believes, is: "You can now get lung cancer or heart disease for €7 a day, not €12."

It will now be up to customs officials to decide whether the amount of cigarettes brought into France is for "personal use" or prohibited items.