Germany and Spain threw their weight on Thursday behind a smuggling charge leveled against US giants Philip Morris and RJ Reynolds by the European Commission.
A European Commission spokesman said Germany had become the second EU country to accuse the US companies of smuggling. Italy has already backed the commission's action, launched last November.
In Madrid, the Spanish finance ministry said it would join the complaint lodged with the commission and the government pledged that it would protect Spain's interest against "grave economic and social prejudice caused by illegal traffic" in tobacco -- BRUSSELS (AFP)
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