A KPMG study commissioned by RUSI last year, analyzing the illicit cigarette market in the European Union, Norway and Switzerland, revealed that more than 9% of all cigarettes consumed in Europe in 2016 were illegal. This does not come as a surprise for the Counter Extremism Project (CEP), a non-profit organization which aims at combatting the growing threat of extremist ideologies: “We agree with the speakers’ assessment and see a direct link between cigarette smuggling and terrorism financing. Illegal tobacco trade is not only damaging to governments’ revenues and consumers’ health but also to national security. Combatting terrorism and radicalization in schools, universities and on the grassroots level is vital, but if we don’t tackle terrorism financing, we will not stop extremist groups from operating and plotting their next attack,” said CEP Executive Director David Ibsen.