Vaping continues to grow in Belgium, where one in seven have tried it

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 2nd November 2017 || Business briefing |

Belgium

EU

Europe

Health

Market Research

Business briefing

A survey of Belgian smoking and vaping habits shows 14% of the country’s population have tried e-cigs, and 3% vape at least once a week ...

Poland considering lower e-liquid tax proposal

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 24th October 2017 || Regulatory briefing |

Europe

Poland

Policy and Politics

Regulation and Legislation

Regulatory briefing

A proposed lower tax rate for e-liquids is not getting a positive reception among Poland's e-cig industry, with manufacturers continuing to claim that if the proposal is passed it will destroy the vaping...

Glo ‘could transform’ tobacco consumption in Russia, says BAT

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 23rd October 2017 || Business briefing |

Russia

Companies

Heated tobacco

Market Research

Marketing and Retailing

Business briefing

British American Tobacco (BAT) has announced the launch of its Glo heat-not-burn (HnB) device in Russia, where the device can be bought online and Neosticks consumables will be available in branded stores ...

Will tobacco price rise send smokers to e-cigs? France puts it to the test

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 19th October 2017 || Business briefing |

EU

Europe

France

Policy and Politics

Regulation and Legislation

Business briefing

France is planning a steep rise in the minimum price of traditional cigarettes – but will that lead to an increased take-up of e-cigarettes as an alternative? It could certainly create an opportunity for the industry ...

High or low? Survey gives a picture of e-cig use in Switzerland

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 5th October 2017 || Business briefing |

Europe

Switzerland

Heated tobacco

Market Research

Business briefing

Switzerland’s vaping industry is not entirely convinced by statistics for e-cig use published by the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health and the foundation Addiction Suisse ...

Some scepticism greets PMI’s $80m-a-year support for a Smoke-Free World

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 21st September 2017 || Business briefing |

North America

United States

Companies

Health

Policy and Politics

Business briefing

The launch of the Philip Morris International-sponsored Foundation for a Smoke-Free World has met with mixed reactions from the world of science and public health ...

Sweden may follow Finnish model as it prepares to impose e-cig tax

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 20th September 2017 || Regulatory briefing |

EU

Europe

Sweden

Regulation and Legislation

Regulatory briefing

Sweden is set to bring in a new tax on e-cigarettes, following a proposal in the national budget for 2018. The exact nature and level of the tax will be determined after consultation with relevant bodies ...

Rare but dangerous – France’s official warning on e-cig battery fires

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 14th September 2017 || Business briefing |

EU

France

Health

Technology and Innovation

Business briefing

The French consumer affairs department has published a list of recommendations on the use of e-cigarette batteries following two recent reports of explosions in users’ pockets ...

Netherlands to extend 10 ml limit to non-nicotine e-liquids

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 7th September 2017 || Regulatory briefing |

EU

Europe

Netherlands

Regulation and Legislation

Regulatory briefing

The Dutch health ministry is to bring in new regulation of vapour products, including a 10 ml limit on non-nicotine e-liquids and some vaguely worded restrictions on e-cigarette packaging ...

Germans hear it officially: e-cigs are ‘significantly’ safer than tobacco

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 31st August 2017 || Regulatory briefing |

EU

Europe

Germany

Health

Policy and Politics

Regulation and Legislation

Regulatory briefing

A study for the German government has concluded that “e-cigarettes are significantly less harmful than tobacco”, but adds a warning that the long-term effects remain unknown ...

Belgium gets tough – and it’s all for the vaping market’s own good

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 23rd August 2017 || Regulatory briefing |

Belgium

EU

Europe

Regulation and Legislation

Regulatory briefing

Facebook groups, vape stores with websites, and private vaping rooms have all been targeted as officials tell vapers: buy from specialist stores, where products are controlled and safe ...

Slovenia’s tough regime remains for now an untested work in progress

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 11th August 2017 || Regulatory briefing |

EU

Europe

Slovenia

Regulation and Legislation

Regulatory briefing

Slovenia was among the last few countries in the EU to transpose the TPD into national law, and it is not yet fully clear how a tough regulatory regime will play out in practice ...

Croatian study finds e-liquids break the rules on nicotine concentration

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 10th August 2017 || Regulatory briefing |

Croatia

EU

Europe

Regulation and Legislation

Regulatory briefing

Researchers in Croatia have found that more than half the e-liquids they tested exceeded the maximum nicotine concentration level laid down by the European TPD ...

Big Tobacco factories switch production from cigarettes to HnB as demand rises

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 10th August 2017 || Business briefing |

Asia

EU

Europe

Germany

Greece

Japan

Romania

Russia

South Korea

Switzerland

Companies

Heated tobacco

Technology and Innovation

Business briefing

Increasing demand for smoke-free products is leading many tobacco companies to open new facilities for heat-not-burn manufacturing – in some cases, even replacing...

E-cigs are Italians’ favourite smoking cessation aid – but most use nothing

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 3rd August 2017 || Business briefing |

EU

Europe

Italy

Health

Heated tobacco

Market Research

Business briefing

More than a tenth of Italians trying to give up smoking (10.7%) use e-cigarettes to help them – more than any other cessation aids – but the vast majority use no aid at all ...

From Russian elevators to US taxes, a change is gonna come

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 3rd August 2017 || Regulatory briefing |

California

Czech Republic

Estonia

EU

Europe

France

Germany

Kansas

North America

Russia

Slovakia

Spain

United States

Companies

Heated tobacco

Policy and Politics

Regulation and Legislation

Regulatory briefing

2017 has already been a significant year in the short history of e-cigarettes – and there is more to come in the remaining five months of a the year ...

FDA squeeze on nicotine in combustibles could hasten Big Tobacco move to HnB

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 3rd August 2017 || Business briefing |

North America

United States

Companies

Heated tobacco

Marketing and Retailing

Policy and Politics

Regulation and Legislation

Business briefing

A move by the US FDA to reduce the nicotine content in cigarettes to non-addictive levels could encourage Big Tobacco to put yet more effort into alternatives ...

High notification fees ‘will kill the legal market’ in Luxembourg

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 21st July 2017 || Regulatory briefing |

Belgium

Denmark

EU

Europe

France

Luxemburg

Regulation and Legislation

Regulatory briefing

Little Luxembourg faces the highest TPD product notification fees in Europe - and the fear is it will kill off the country’s legal vape trade ...

BAT’s $49bn Reynolds takeover is on – with big reduced-risk potential

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 20th July 2017 || Business briefing |

North America

United Kingdom

United States

Companies

Heated tobacco

Business briefing

The $49.4bn takeover of Reynolds American by British American Tobacco (BAT) is set to go through next week after being approved by shareholders of both...

Stores look on the bright side of TPD – especially in the UK

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 13th July 2017 || Business briefing |

EU

Europe

France

Greece

United Kingdom

Market Research

Business briefing

Some vape store owners are optimistic despite the restrictions the TPD places on the e-cig industry, according to three new national surveys by...

Von Erl prepares international expansion in hook-up with Fontem

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 12th July 2017 || Business briefing |

Austria

Europe

Netherlands

Companies

Marketing and Retailing

Business briefing

The Austrian e-cigarette company Von Erl has gone into what it describes as a partnership with Imperial Brands subsidiary Fontem Ventures, the makers of blu, in the hope of boosting its international expansion ...

Korean tobacco giant prepares to enter competitive HnB market

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 5th July 2017 || Business briefing |

Asia

South Korea

Companies

Heated tobacco

Marketing and Retailing

Technology and Innovation

Business briefing

South Korea’s largest tobacco manufacturer, KT&G, is to start selling a new heat-not-burn (HnB) product, in direct competition with PMI’s iQOS and BAT’s Glo...

Euro survey finds one in 10 who want to quit smoking turn to e-cigs

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 15th June 2017 || Business briefing |

Czech Republic

Denmark

EU

Europe

France

Germany

Ireland

Lithuania

Romania

Sweden

United Kingdom

Market Research

Policy and Politics

Regulation and Legislation

Business briefing

One in ten Europeans who have tried to give up smoking have used e-cigarettes or similar devices to help them, according to a wide-ranging public opinion survey for the European...

Spain begins transposition of TPD into national law by royal decree

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 13th June 2017 || Regulatory briefing |

EU

Europe

Spain

Regulation and Legislation

Regulatory briefing

Spain, one of the last few European Union countries to transpose the Tobacco Products Directive into national law, has now partly done so through a royal...

E-cig bans ‘break world trade rules’, Global Forum to be told

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 9th June 2017 || Regulatory briefing |

World

Regulation and Legislation

Regulatory briefing

Trade barriers against e-cigarettes, or the outright banning of vapour products, contravene world trading regulations, next week’s Global Forum on Nicotine in Warsaw will...

Georgia legislates to ban smoking or vaping in public places

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 9th June 2017 || Regulatory briefing |

Armenia

Europe

Georgia

Russia

Regulation and Legislation

Regulatory briefing

The former Soviet republics of Georgia and its neighbour Armenia are to impose new regulations on...

German U-turn excludes menthol from list of banned ingredients

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 7th June 2017 || Regulatory reports |

EU

Europe

Germany

Regulation and Legislation

Regulatory reports

Menthol flavouring for e-cigarettes is to be allowed in Germany after all following a decision by the Federal Council that it should be removed from the list of banned...

Health and cost draw French and Spanish vapers away from tobacco

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 30th May 2017 || Business briefing |

EU

Europe

France

Spain

Market Research

Business briefing

Two new surveys suggest that most French and Spanish vapers have used e-cigarettes to give up smoking, for both health and financial reasons – and that very few had continued to smoke after taking up...

Tedros Adhanom handed influential role of WHO director general

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 24th May 2017 || Regulatory briefing |

World

Regulation and Legislation

Regulatory briefing

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has been named as the next director general of the World Health Organization, a role with huge influence on governments around the world, and therefore on the potential future of e-cigarette...

New French health minister is a keen advocate of smoking cessation

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 23rd May 2017 || Regulatory briefing |

EU

Europe

France

Health

Regulation and Legislation

Regulatory briefing

France’s new health minister, Agnès Buzyn, may not be the biggest fan of e-cigarettes, but she may not be their biggest enemy...

A year of living with the TPD – where Europe’s member states stand now

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 19th May 2017 || Regulatory briefing |

EU

Europe

Regulation and Legislation

Regulatory briefing

The European Commission described the TPD a year ago as the tool that “aims to improve the functioning of the internal market for tobacco and related products, while ensuring a high level of health protection for European citizens”....

One year on: the picture is clearer as TPD reaches its anniversary

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 18th May 2017 || Regulatory reports |

EU

Europe

United Kingdom

Regulation and Legislation

Regulatory reports

How far has Europe’s Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) succeeded in its goal of harmonising the e-cig market across the EU? For many, the jury is still...

Some Japanese quit with e-cigs, but most prefer willpower

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 16th May 2017 || Business briefing |

Asia

Japan

Health

Marketing and Retailing

Policy and Politics

Business briefing

E-cigarettes are more popular than they are successful as smoking cessation aids in Japan, according to a recent study which suggests they should therefore “not be recommended or...

Hungary abandons plans to increase tax rate for e-liquids

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 16th May 2017 || Regulatory briefing |

Europe

Hungary

Indiana

Kansas

North America

United States

West Virginia

Policy and Politics

Regulation and Legislation

Regulatory briefing

An expected increase in e-liquid taxes in Hungary will not take...

French e-cig sector optimistic about future under President Macron

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 10th May 2017 || Regulatory briefing |

EU

Europe

France

United Kingdom

Policy and Politics

Regulation and Legislation

Regulatory briefing

Emmanuel Macron’s victory in the French presidential election gives the e-cigarette industry some hope for the future of the sector in the...

French government clarifies extent of workplace vaping ban

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 2nd May 2017 || Regulatory briefing |

EU

Europe

France

Regulation and Legislation

Regulatory briefing

A new decree clarifies the details of the workplace vaping ban in...

French quality service guide can establish national code of conduct

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 27th April 2017 || Business briefing |

Europe

France

Marketing and Retailing

Regulation and Legislation

Business briefing

A new customer service guide for French e-cig retailers sets out to professionalise the country’s vape stores and establish a nationwide code of...

‘Lack of trust leads to needlessly repressive anti-vaping legislation’

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 20th April 2017 || Regulatory briefing |

EU

Europe

North America

Poland

United States

Health

Policy and Politics

Regulation and Legislation

Regulatory briefing

Sociologist Amelia Howard will tell the 2017 Global Forum on Nicotine in Warsaw that a lack of trust in the e-cigarette industry leads governments around the world to introduce harsh measures against a low-risk...

Choops distances itself from Dali design after legal threat over logo

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 18th April 2017 || Business briefing , Marketing & retailing |

Italy

North America

United States

Companies

Marketing and Retailing

Business briefing

Marketing & retailing

The Californian company behind the e-liquid brand Choops Liquids has changed the logo on its packaging after protests from the owner of the famous Spanish lollipop brand Chupa...

PMI sinks €300m in converting Greek cigarette plant to iQOS sticks

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 12th April 2017 || Business briefing |

EU

Europe

Greece

Italy

Switzerland

Companies

Heated tobacco

Business briefing

Philip Morris International is to convert its largest tobacco factory in Greece to manufacture iQOS heat sticks....

Bid to overturn Austria’s online sales ban fails at the highest hurdle

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 11th April 2017 || Regulatory briefing |

Austria

EU

Europe

Regulation and Legislation

Regulatory briefing

Austria’s Constitutional Court, the country’s highest judicial authority, has upheld the national ban on online sales of vaping...

Estonian legislators consider joining the crusade against vaping flavours

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 11th April 2017 || Regulatory briefing |

Estonia

EU

Europe

Regulation and Legislation

Regulatory briefing

A contested amendment to Estonia’s Tobacco Act proposes a ban on all e-liquid flavours except tobacco as well as a prohibition on domestic distance selling of vape...

Iceland preparing to follow European lead on e-cig legislation

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 27th March 2017 || Regulatory briefing |

Europe

Iceland

Regulation and Legislation

Regulatory briefing

Iceland is a step closer to passing a bill that will regulate vaping products, with EU-style legislation likely to come into force this...

French vapers feel uncomfortable about using their e-cigs in public

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 23rd March 2017 || Business briefing |

EU

Europe

France

Italy

United Kingdom

Market Research

Business briefing

Almost half of French e-cigarette users are reluctant to vape in public spaces, even where it is permitted – and even though a majority consider e-cigarettes more socially acceptable than smoking....

Ireland and the Isle of Man to join UK in bringing e-cigs into prisons

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 21st March 2017 || Regulatory briefing |

England

Europe

Ireland

Isle of Man

Scotland

United Kingdom

Wales

Regulation and Legislation

Regulatory briefing

Ireland and the Isle of Man hope to cut down on prison violence – and the smoking of nicotine patches and tea-bags by inmates – by following the UK in allowing vaping in...

Hungary adopts TPD, but its regime remains the toughest in Europe

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 15th March 2017 || Regulatory briefing |

EU

Europe

Hungary

Regulation and Legislation

Regulatory briefing

Hungary has implemented the European TPD, finally opening up its market to nicotine e-cigarettes – but its regulatory regime remains the most severe in...

Higher taxes ‘would force vapers back to tobacco’, users tell Europe

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 15th March 2017 || Regulatory briefing |

EU

Europe

Italy

Poland

United Kingdom

Heated tobacco

Policy and Politics

Regulation and Legislation

Regulatory briefing

Raising taxes on e-cigarette products would cause an increase in cross-border sales and lead to some users taking up smoking again, users told a European consultation on excise...

German court rules against French exporters for TPD non-compliance

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 8th March 2017 || Regulatory briefing |

EU

France

Germany

Regulation and Legislation

Regulatory briefing

A German court has ordered three French companies to stop selling e-cigarette products that do not conform with packaging...

Drug policy reformer Nadelmann to address Global Forum on Nicotine

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 6th March 2017 || Business briefing |

EU

Europe

North America

Poland

United States

Policy and Politics

Business briefing

Ethan Nadelmann, widely regarded as the outstanding U.S. proponent of drug policy reform around the world, is to share his views on the links between policy and harm reduction at this summer’s Global Forum on Nicotine (GFN)....

French e-cig retailer is Europe’s second fastest-growing company

Written by David Palacios Rubio || 6th March 2017 || Business briefing |

EU

Europe

France

Companies

Marketing and Retailing

Business briefing

French retailer Le Petit Vapoteur has taken second place in a list of Europe's 5000 fastest-growing private companies, demonstrating the potential for spectacular success in a market threatened by newly imposed...