The European Commission launched a public consultation on plans to update the EU’s tobacco control framework, reflecting changing market dynamics, evolving consumption trends, and the growing role of digital marketing in nicotine product promotion. The proposed directive aims to strengthen public health protections, improve the functioning of the EU internal market, and support implementation of the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in line with Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan. The feedback period for the initiative runs from May 18 to June 15, and is expected to inform future regulatory changes affecting traditional tobacco products as well as emerging nicotine categories.
Tag: European Commission
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MOHRE Urges Evidence-Based Review of EU Tobacco Rules
The Observatory for Harm Reduction in Medicine sent an open letter to European Commissioner for Health and Animal Welfare Olivér Várhelyi, criticizing the European Commission’s evaluation of the Tobacco Products Directive (TPD), arguing it overlooks scientific evidence on tobacco harm reduction and fails to compare the risks of smoke-free products with combustible cigarettes. The group said the review relies heavily on selective data and the SCHEER opinion while ignoring evidence from countries such as Sweden, where wider use of alternatives like snus and nicotine pouches coincided with sharp declines in smoking rates and tobacco-related disease.
The letter calls on the Commission to adopt a comparative risk framework, include evidence from independent health authorities, and examine Sweden’s experience as part of the TPD review. It argues that a narrow focus on complete cessation overlooks varied addiction profiles and could lead to regulations that unintentionally discourage smokers from switching to lower-risk alternatives.
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EU Suspects ‘Coordinated’ Interference in Tobacco Tax Feedback
The European Commission suspects that a surge of pro-industry submissions opposing its proposed overhaul of the EU Tobacco Tax Directive was likely coordinated and intended to distort public consultation feedback, according to comments from Commission tax official David Boublil as reported by Politico. Thousands of largely anonymous responses promoting tobacco industry arguments, along with what are believed to be fake submissions attributed to public health experts, were filed in the final hours of the consultation period.
While the Commission did not identify who was behind the activity, Boublil described industry lobbying on the issue as “gigantic.” The proposal would raise the EU-wide minimum excise duty on cigarettes from €90 to €215 per 1,000 cigarettes, a move opposed by several member states. The scrutiny comes amid broader upcoming EU reviews of tobacco taxation and regulation, including plans to extend tobacco control rules to e-cigarettes, heated tobacco, and nicotine pouches from 2026.
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EU Considers Tobacco Tax as New, Long-Term Revenue Stream
The European Commission is exploring a potential EU-wide tobacco levy to help fund its next long-term budget, according to a German government report seen by Euractiv. The idea, still in early stages, could become a new source of “own resources” for the EU alongside member state contributions and customs duties.
The proposal, which also mentions a possible levy on electronic waste, comes amid rising EU spending priorities such as defense. Tax Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra has been pushing for higher tobacco excise taxes, and a leaked draft suggests a potential 139% hike on cigarettes.
While EU countries already apply tobacco taxes, the Commission may consider a separate levy that funnels revenue directly into the EU budget. However, any revision to the Tobacco Excise Tax Directive (TED) would require unanimous approval from all member states—some of which, including Greece and Romania, strongly oppose changes.
The tobacco industry has warned such measures could backfire, fueling black market activity and reducing national revenues. An official proposal on the TED revision is expected this fall.
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Europe OKs French Ban on Disposables
Photo: justoomm The European Commission on Sept. 25 approved France’s bid to ban disposable vapes, reports the Connexion.
France started the process of banning single-use e-cigarettes in December 2023, citing concerns about youth uptake and environmental pollution. Disposable vapes contain microplastics and chemical substances and are generally powered by nonrechargeable, nonrecyclable lithium batteries.
The National Assembly’s proposed ban gained approval in the French Senate in February 2024.
Europe’s validation was the final step in making the ban possible.
“This is a great victory for the environment and for the health of our children, who are the main targets of these marketing campaigns,” Francesca Pasquini, co-writer of the bill, was quoted as saying.
Lawmakers have yet to determine when the legislation will take force. The next step is for senators to vote definitively on a ban before it is formally put into effect.
France will be joining Belgium, where the sale of disposable vapes will be illegal from Jan. 1, 2025.
According to an investigation by the French anti-smoking federation ACT, 15 percent of teenagers aged between 13 and 16 have used e-cigarettes.
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‘Commission Too Receptive to Lobbying’
Photo: doganmesut The European Commission is inappropriately receptive to tobacco lobbying, according to a white paper scheduled to be presented on April 11, reports Europorter.
Concerned about the slow progress toward the EU goal of creating “tobacco-free generation” and the union’s inaction on its 2011 tobacco taxation directive and its 2014 tobacco products directive, which are due for revision, several European deputes and public health associations have studied the interactions between industry and EU public office holders.
The discussions were led by Michèle Rivasi, Anne-Sophie Pelletier and Pierre Larrouturou, with the participation of Smoke-Free Partnership, Alliance Against Tobacco, the University of Bath and Corporate Europe Observatory, among other health groups.
The themes discussed included the parallel tobacco trade, the “Dentsu Tracking/Jan Hoffmann” traceability controversy, tobacco lobbying efforts and tobacco’s environmental impact.
The white paper summarizing the working group’s findings will be distributed in French and English to the 27 member states, the Commission, political groups, along with lawmakers and members of the press.
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EU Tracking System Under Fire in Panama
Photo: Tobacco Reporter archive During the meeting in Panama of the parties to the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products (MOP3), European Member of Parliament Anne-Sophie Pelletier today expressed her concerns about the shortcomings of the European tobacco product tracing system.
According to Pelletier, the Dentsu tracking system fails to comply with World Health Organization protocol—which the EU ratified in 2016—in part due to its association with the tobacco business.
Dentsu’s system is split between IT firms that operate information-tracking databases on those codes for individual manufacturers and importers, and an overarching level that gathers all that data into a “secondary data repository.” At the end of 2018, Dentsu Tracking, a subsidiary of Japan’s Dentsu Group, was awarded a contract to operate this secondary repository.
During a debate in Brussels on Feb. 8, European lawmakers highlighted the inefficiency of the European tobacco product tracing system, with several member states lamenting an increase in the level of tobacco parallel trade since its implementation in 2019.
Furthermore, European parliamentarians questioned the choice of Dentsu Tracking as the provider, and that company’s recruitment of Jan Hoffmann, a former official of the EU’s Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety (DG Sante), as director of its regulatory affairs and compliance division.
Dentsu has denied that Hoffman had any part in either awarding the contract to the company during his stint at DG Sante, or that he is using his Commission contacts to help the company in any way. “His hiring at Dentsu was carried out in full compliance with all applicable laws and regulations,” Dentsu Tracking’s CEO Philippe Castella was quoted as saying by Politico in 2023.
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EU: Tobacco Meetings are Transparent
Photo: artjazz The European Commission insists it has sound transparency measures in place, despite EU Ombudsman Emily O’Reilly’s findings of maladministration in an inquiry of the Commission’s interactions with representatives of the tobacco industry.
“The Commission has been uncompromising in delivering the highest standards of transparency—on who we meet and who seeks to influence us,” a Commission spokesperson told Euractiv.
In December, O’Reilly concluded that the Commission had failed to “ensure a comprehensive approach across all its departments to transparency of meetings with representatives of the tobacco industry,” including “failure to ensure a systematic assessment, across all directorates-general, as to whether potential meetings are needed with representatives of the tobacco industry.”
Article 5.3 of the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control instructs parties, such as the EU, to protect public health polices from the tobacco industry’s commercial and other vested interests.
Despite the finding, the Commission spokesperson insisted that there is a “very solid baseline consisting of horizontal rules on ethics and integrity for Commission staff.”
Tobacco Europe, an industry organization, confirmed that it is difficult for tobacco lobbyists to arrange meetings with the Commission in any directorate-general. Its director of EU affairs, Nathalie Darge, said that FCTCs Article 5(3) is often “misinterpreted” and used as an excuse not to meet industry representatives.
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Activists Lament EU Stance on THR
Photo: Andrzej The European Commission’s approach to tobacco harm reduction is out of touch with EU citizens’ views, according to the World Vapers’ Alliance (WVA)
A recent public consultation on the EU Tobacco Products Directive (TPD), analyzed by Snusforumet, reveals a substantial consensus among citizens, NGOs and scientific institutions on the effectiveness of harm-reduction products in assisting smokers to quit.
A striking 77 percent of respondents recognize these products as helpful smoking cessation tools, while a mere 9 percent of EU citizens disagree. Furthermore, an overwhelming 82 percent of respondents refute the notion that new nicotine alternatives pose a risk to public health, with only 6 percent perceiving them as a threat.
“The EU Commission’s current stance on harm reduction is not just out of touch; it’s a blatant disregard for consumer opinions and scientific evidence,” said WVA Director Michael Landl in a statement. “It’s high time the Commission responds to the reality that harm-reduction products are not the enemy but a vital ally in the fight against smoking.”
According to the WVA, countries like Sweden serve as living proof of the success of a consumer-friendly harm reduction approach, significantly outpacing the EU in reducing smoking rates. The EU Commission’s reluctance to embrace this approach is not only perplexing but also detrimental to public health efforts, the organization says.
“Sweden’s success story is a testament to what can be achieved with a sensible harm reduction policy,” said Landl. “It’s baffling and frankly irresponsible for the EU Commission to continue its hostile approach towards these life-saving products. The Commission needs to align its policies with the clear evidence and public opinion, rather than clinging to outdated and ineffective methods.”
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EU Commission Vows Tobacco Lobby Probe
Image: bluedesign The European Commission said it would investigate the extent of its exposure to tobacco industry influence, following complaints about its inconsistent approach to tobacco lobbyists, reports Politico.
In April, European Ombudsman Emily O’Reilly noted that the heightened controls and transparency requirements applied by the Commission departments in charge of health and customs policies are not necessarily implemented by other directorates-general.
O’Reilly’s inquiry found that tobacco industry representatives met with officials from Commission departments in charge of agriculture, climate action, environment, trade, the internal market, among others. Minutes were often nonexistent of lacking detail.
Article 5.3 of the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control instructs parties to protect public health polices from the tobacco industry’s commercial and other vested interests.
The tobacco industry insists the Commission already applies this FCTC provision too broadly, noting that Article 5.3 does not prohibit discussions or engagement outright.