TobaccoReporter logo

Tag: Belgium

  • Holland and Belgium Tighten Vaping Rules

    Holland and Belgium Tighten Vaping Rules

    Image: Tobacco Reporter archive

    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.

  • Belgium Bans Smoking at Train Stations

    Belgium Bans Smoking at Train Stations

    Image: Алексей Горелов | Adobe Stock

    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.”

  • Belgium to Curb Tobacco Vending Machines

    Belgium to Curb Tobacco Vending Machines

    Photo: Andrey Popov

    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.

  • Belgium: One in Five Cigarettes Untaxed

    Belgium: One in Five Cigarettes Untaxed

    Photo: paolo

    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.

  • Belgium Shuts Down Illegal Cigarette Factory

    Belgium Shuts Down Illegal Cigarette Factory

    Photo: Tobacco Reporter archive

    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.