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Tag: Vending Machines

  • Survey: Luxembourgers Favor Strict Tobacco Rules

    Survey: Luxembourgers Favor Strict Tobacco Rules

    A new poll by Ilres shows overwhelming public support in Luxembourg for tougher tobacco controls, with 85% of residents backing a ban on advertising—including 75% of smokers themselves. The survey, published by Fondation Cancer, also found strong backing for removing cigarette vending machines (78%), reducing points of sale (71%), and nearly three-quarters of respondents in favor of raising prices.

    The findings come as the European Commission pushes for harmonized excise duty increases across the EU, a move Luxembourg has resisted. Finance Minister Gilles Roth warned in October that the proposed tax hikes were “excessive” and risked disrupting existing price levels, arguing that aligning duties across member states could create “unequal treatment.” Cigarette sales remain a major revenue stream for Luxembourg, with 5.08 billion sticks sold in 2024, though KPMG estimates 88% were consumed abroad.

  • 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.