Belgium will require cigars, cigarillos, cigarette papers, filters, tubes, and all other “herbal products intended for smoking” to adopt standardized green-brown packaging with uniform fonts and health warnings, Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke announced. Effective June 1, 2026, the measure expands existing plain packaging rules for cigarettes and rolling tobacco, in place since 2020, to close loopholes that allow tobacco companies to market via other products. “Small retailers” would receive a one-year exception until June 2027.
Vandenbroucke said the move aims to curb youth appeal and counter industry tactics, such as packaging cigarillos to resemble old cigarette packs. The government is also considering a ban on smoking on terraces from January 2026.
