Belgium - Tobacco Reporter

New Year Begins Belgium’s Vaping Tax

Beginning January 1, 2024, Belgium will introduce a new tax on e-liquids used in electronic cigarettes. The tax will be set at 15 cents per milliliter.

The move has received criticism from both users and retailers who fear that it will lead to increased costs and a potential shift back to traditional tobacco cigarettes.

The spokesperson for the federal Finance Minister defended the tax, stating that it aligns with Germany’s tax rate, which is also set to increase in the coming years, according to media reports.

They further clarified that the goal is not to encourage people to return to smoking combustible cigarettes but to recognize that e-cigarettes are also tobacco products and should be used as a temporary measure to quit smoking.

December 27, 2023

Belgium Announces Crackdown on Tobacco

Belgium Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke announced measures to curtail tobacco consumption and ban the display of tobacco products, reports The Brussels Times.

About 24 percent of Belgians smoke, according to Cancer Foundation reports, and of smokers, one in five smoke daily. To help discourage smoking, the federal government previously announced plans to increase excise taxes on tobacco products.

The latest announcement will reduce points of sale—large supermarkets and festivals will no longer be able to sell cigarettes. Smoking in public spaces will also be restricted, and these new regulations will be effective Jan. 1, 2025.

The government says it will carry out widespread controls with heavy penalties for those who do not comply with the new rules, including forced closure.

The Belgian government’s goal is to reduce daily tobacco use to 10 percent of the population by 2028 and to 5 percent by 2040. Sciensano research predicts that these goals will be overshot; if the current rate continues, the 2028 targets will not be fully achieved by 2040.

Comeos, Belgium’s commerce federation, called the measures “pure hypocrisy,” and Philip Morris said the country’s government is “getting rich off the back of smokers” and that the measures will encourage the black market—Belgium is a known hub for counterfeit cigarettes.

October 26, 2023

Belgium Experts Call for EU-Wide Filter Ban

Filtered cigarettes are equally as unhealthy as unfiltered cigarettes, a Superior Health Council analysis showed, according to The Brussels Times.

The analysis also stated that filters cause a false sense of security and can cause more carcinogenic substances in cigarette smoke.

“Filters in cigarettes do not actually reduce the harmful health effects of smoking. From a public health perspective, they do not offer any benefit while they pollute the environment,” said the report by the Superior Health Council.

Banning filters could make smoking less attractive as well, as filters are said to have a more “pleasant” mouthfeel, reduce sensory irritation in the airways and prevent tobacco from entering the mouth.

“Instead of protecting against lung cancer, the filters have mainly promoted a shift in lung cancer type over the years,” the Superior Health Council concluded, adding that filters are therefore a “false solution” to the health problem caused by smoking.

The Superior Health Council is asking that filters be considered nondegradable single-use plastic products like disposable plastic bags. The council is also suggesting that a filter ban be implemented across the European Union to give it the best chance of success.

April 28, 2023

Fines and Jail for Undeclared Manufacture

A Belgian court handed out fines and prison sentences to several companies and individuals for undeclared cigarette manufacturing, reports The Brussels Times.

The illegal cigarettes were manufactured and stored in a warehouse in Gosselies that was placed under surveillance in 2022. Another warehouse was discovered in a furniture factory in Anderlecht.

A truck carrying 16 pallets of undeclared cigarettes manufactured in Belgium was checked near Jabbeke.

The company running the Gosselies manufacturing was fined €36,710,000 ($39,580,338), and its head was also fined that amount as well as receiving a one-year prison sentence.

Another company was fined €36,710,000 along with a suspended prison sentence for the amount exceeding €36,600,000. All manufacturing and transport equipment was confiscated.

The other accused were fined €36,710,000 and received suspended prison sentences of six months, nine months and two years for the amount exceeding €36,600,000.

March 21, 2023

Belgium Health Minister Pushes For Pouch Ban

The Belgian health minister, Frank Vandenbroucke, has called for a ban on nicotine pouches, citing concerns about youth exposure to tobacco products.

“Our goal is to prevent our children and young people from smoking,” Vandenbroucke said. “If you are fully committed to a smoke-free generation, you must ensure that young people come into less contact with smoking or anything related to it.”

Nicotine pouches are popular with youth, according to The Brussels Times, because they are easy to use, like snus, which is banned in the EU except for Sweden, but without the tobacco, and because they are cheaper than other tobacco products. Dutch research has shown that nicotine pouches are addictive and cause harm to the brain.

“These nicotine pouches, like electronic cigarettes and vaping, can be a steppingstone to smoking at an early age,” Vandenbroucke said. “That is why we are resolutely opting for a ban on them. We are doing this because protecting the health of children and young people is an absolute priority.”

January 30, 2023

Holland and Belgium Tighten Vaping Rules

The Netherlands banned flavored e-cigarettes effective Jan. 1, reports The Brussels Times. Companies have until Oct. 1 to remove the flavored products from shelves; retailers can sell their current stock until that date, but new flavors may not be marketed.

Belgium plans to tighten vaping regulation as well, according to Federal Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke.

“E-cigarettes contain some 1,800 different products of which we are far from knowing all the health consequences,” he said. “Maybe some people will switch from regular cigarettes to e-cigarettes, but maybe by using e-cigarettes, people will just end up smoking regular cigarettes.”

A ban on flavors is not currently planned in Belgium, but a royal decree will soon be published imposing more restrictions on the sale of flavored e-cigarettes. “No more trendy names will be allowed to be given to those flavors, and lights will no longer be allowed on e-cigarettes either,” said Vandenbroucke.

There will be a six-month transition period for the industry to adapt to the new rules and another six-month period to sell current stock.

January 5, 2023

Belgium Bans Smoking at Train Stations

Belgium has banned smoking and vaping at train stations, both indoor and outdoor, effective Jan. 1, 2023, according to The Brussels Times.

The ban will apply to all 550 stations in Belgium, and those caught in violation will be fined. Ashtrays will be removed from platforms, and prohibition signs at visible places will indicate the ban.

“Our children have the right to grow up in good health, including without exposure to tobacco. As children see fewer and fewer people smoking, the absence of tobacco is becoming the new norm for them,” said Marc Michils, Generation Smoke-Free spokesperson. “Generation Smoke-Free welcomes this measure that brings us closer to the first generation without tobacco.”

“There are 14,000 victims of tobacco every year in Belgium—that should spur us into action,” said Federal Mobility Minister Georges Gilkinet. The ban will “ensure healthier air on the platforms and, above all, reduce the pressure for young people who have quit or want to quit smoking.”

December 20, 2022

Belgium to Curb Tobacco Vending Machines

Belgium will prohibit tobacco vending machines in bars and restaurants but not in supermarkets, reports The Brussels Times, citing an Oct. 19 decision by the country’s Parliamentary Committee on Public Health.

The federal government backed a bill by Federal Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke to ban tobacco vending machines in the hospitality industry. Federal MP Els Van Hoof, who paved the way with a similar bill in 2016, stressed that the ban should make it harder for minors to access cigarettes.

Since 2006, tobacco vending machines in Belgium can be accessed only with a special proof-of-age coin that may not be given to minors. In reality, however, the coins have been widely available, including to underage buyers.

The ban will take effect after a yet-to-be-determined transition period to give the industry time to remove the machines.

With its new rule, Belgium will join the Netherlands, the U.K. and France, among other countries that restrict mechanical sales of tobacco products.

October 26, 2022

Belgium: One in Five Cigarettes Untaxed

More than one in five cigarettes smoked in Belgium are untaxed, reports The Brussels Times, citing new research carried out by Cimabel, the Belgium-Luxembourg federation of cigarette manufacturers.

A study of discarded packets and cigarette butts collected between April 18 and May 9 found that 21.8 percent of cigarettes consumed had escaped Belgian tax authorities, accounting for around €700 million ($699.69) in lost tax revenue.

Of the untaxed cigarettes, 1.9 percent were counterfeit. The remaining 19.9 percent were legally brought into Belgium from countries with a lower tax burden. Of the cigarettes purchased outside of Belgium, more than half (51.8 percent) came from Bulgaria. Other countries of origin included Poland (7.8 percent of supply), Turkey (6.88 percent) and Romania (3.67 percent).

During Cimabel’s previous semi-annual survey, which took place in October 2021, the share of untaxed cigarettes was 13.8 percent. The organization attributes the increase in tax-evading tobacco products to drastic tax hikes introduced on April 1, 2022, which have encouraged smokers to find cheaper ways of purchasing cigarettes.

Cimabel urged the Belgian government to refrain from further tobacco tax hikes.

“As long as the federal government continues to drastically increase excise duties on tobacco products each year, the demand for cheap cigarettes will continue to grow, and criminal organizations will continue their illegal practices on Belgian territory,” the federation warned.

September 1, 2022

Belgium Shuts Down Illegal Cigarette Factory

Belgian Customs, with the help of Europol’s European Financial Economic Crime Center (EFECC), raided and shut down an illegal cigarette manufacturing factory in a former pet hotel in Arlon, Belgium, according to Europol.

Belgian authorities seized the complete cigarette manufacturing machinery and arrested 14 workers, mainly from Eastern Europe. Also seized were 4 tons of tobacco and 2 million counterfeit cigarettes.

Additionally, 40 million counterfeit cigarettes were seized in trailers in an industrial area in Duffel, Belgium. These cigarettes were presumed to have been manufactured at the illegal factory in Arlon and were most likely destined for the black market in France and the U.K.

French Customs was also involved in the investigation, seizing over 25 tons of cigarettes and 16 tons of tobacco from the same organized crime group in the city of La Longueville.

March 18, 2022

Tag: Belgium