Market & regulatory data for the vaping sector in Europe

Follow the Swedish model to cut smoking rates, Italian tells fellow EU lawmakers

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 10th May 2023

The best way to reduce smoking rates is by encouraging smokers to switch to new, reduced-risk categories, according to Italian MEP Aldo Patriciello, who recommends the Swedish approach ...

Big Tobacco accused of doing too little, too slowly in switch to reduced risk

Written by Freddie Dawson | 9th May 2023

Tobacco companies are not doing enough to transition to reduced risk products and are not phasing out conventional cigarettes quickly enough, according to the Foundation for a Smoke-Free World (FSFW) ...

Norway set to reverse its ban on e-cigs, but other future restrictions unveiled

Written by ECigIntelligence | 5th May 2023

A ban on flavours and an increasing age limit to prevent future generations from accessing tobacco products are two of the most important elements of new regulations being considered in Norway ...

Russia tightens the rules on e-cig sales after teen deaths are blamed on vaping

Written by ECigIntelligence | 2nd May 2023

Russian president Vladimir Putin has signed into law a bill tightening regulation of alternative tobacco products, intended particularly to curb under-age demand – even though sales to under-18s were already banned ...

Next TPD ‘should differentiate between smoking and less dangerous alternatives’

Written by Tiziana Cauli | 1st May 2023

While most European Parliament members (MEPs) are likely to take a conservative approach to the revision of tobacco regulations, some are more open to acknowledging a positive role for alternatives such as e-cigarettes ...

PMI ends interest in US vaping market, outsources manufacturing elsewhere

Written by Freddie Dawson | 28th April 2023

Philip Morris International will scale back and partially outsource its vaping business, instead focusing on other tobacco alternatives that can help it become a majority smoke-free revenue company by 2025 ...

Stricter rules on e-cigs are likely, but will damage anti-smoking efforts, says MEP

Written by Tiziana Cauli | 25th April 2023

Czech MEP Radka Maxová says it is impossible to predict the final outcome of the EU debate on revision of the Tobacco Products Directive (TPD), but “the trend in EU legislation is clear: abolitionism” ... ...

Imperial shrugs off Myblu denial in US with next gen expansion elsewhere

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 19th April 2023

Expanding sales of Imperial Brands’ next generation products into new markets has more than compensated the company for the effect of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)’s marketing denial order (MDO) for Myblu ...

UK launches national ‘swap-to-stop’ scheme for smokers to switch to vapes

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 14th April 2023

Up to 1m UK smokers could be given vouchers to purchase their own preferred vaping products under a new national initiative that is being called a world first ...

Proposed UK ban on disposable vapes appears to be headed for the bin

Written by ECigIntelligence | 28th March 2023

Political support for a proposed bill to ban disposable vaping devices in the UK appears to be waning ...

Heated tobacco case shows age matters in British ads for e-cigarette products

Written by Freddie Dawson | 23rd March 2023

Companies dealing in e-cigarette products must be extremely careful with all age-related details when it comes to website illustrations and endorsements, a new UK ruling against a heated tobacco company demonstrates ...

E-cigs, including disposables, continue to avoid UK tax as tobacco rates are raised

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 21st March 2023

UK smokers are facing a hike in the price of tobacco following last week’s Spring Budget – but no tax on vaping products was announced, leaving them much more affordable than other alternatives ...

UK vape maker Supreme and French e-cig wholesaler sign €4.5m agreement

Written by Tiziana Cauli | 17th March 2023

UK vaping manufacturer Supreme has signed an agreement to sell the intellectual property of its T-Juice e-liquids to French e-cigarette wholesaler La Vape for €4.5m ...

Elf Bar acts fast to avoid recall notice, but oversized vapes still can’t be sold in UK

Written by Freddie Dawson | 16th March 2023

Reports that Elf Bar has been the subject of a mandatory recall of its UK products that did not meet regulations are false – but so are suggestions that the vapes can still be sold...

Russia to introduce single regulator to tighten up nicotine and tobacco sectors

Written by ECigIntelligence | 9th March 2023

The Russian Ministry of Finance announced in February that it would submit a bill to the parliament this month to establish a single regulator for the alcohol, tobacco and nicotine industries ...

Finnish working group puts the case for tougher restrictions on nicotine products

Written by ECigIntelligence | 8th March 2023

Raising the minimum purchasing age for e-cigarette products, restrictions on imports, and further extensions of vape-free environments are among suggestions under consideration in Finland ...

TPD, advertising limits and tax – Europe’s ‘three levers’ against tobacco and e-cigs

Written by ECigIntelligence | 6th March 2023

Europe is at the forefront of the fight against smoking and is now seriously tackling new products, including e-cigarettes, according to a leading European Commission health official ...

Nicotine-free e-liquids could face EU duty to close shake-and-vape tax dodge

Written by Freddie Dawson | 6th March 2023

European authorities will likely look to impose a tax on nicotine-free e-liquids in the upcoming revision of the EU Tobacco Excise Directive (TED) ...

Big Tobacco still laying out the road towards a promised smokeless future

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 3rd March 2023

Big Tobacco’s 2022 full-year results show that their collective commitment to transition away from combustible products is not just the companies blowing smoke ...

Has the rumour mill got it badly wrong in predicting a UK tax on vaping products?

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 2nd March 2023

Rumours stirred up by recent media reports that the UK is set to impose a tax on e-cigarette products are overblown and appear to be well wide of the mark ...

MEPs are less confident about e-cigs, but more knowledge brings more acceptance

Written by ECigIntelligence | 2nd March 2023

Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) are less aware of key issues surrounding new nicotine products than in previous years and often less confident in their views, according to new research ...

German calls for EU ban on disposables gather momentum as Bundesrat votes

Written by ECigIntelligence | 1st March 2023

Germany’s Bundesrat is preparing to vote on Bavaria’s widely supported call for disposable e-cigarettes to be outlawed at both national and European-wide level ...

Marketing vapes to children in UK ‘appalling’ and ‘utterly unacceptable’

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 24th February 2023

England’s chief medical officer, Chris Whitty, has urged the UK government should be “much more serious” in its attempt to reduce vaping and smoking among children ...

No health or safety risk but Elf Bar recalls disposables with tanks too big for UK

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 21st February 2023

The UK Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has met Elf Bar to discuss action the company is taking after some of its disposables were found to have bigger tanks than are allowed in...

French anti-tobacco campaigners call for ban on all non-tobacco flavours in e-cigs

Written by Tiziana Cauli | 15th February 2023

A French anti-smoking group has called for a ban on non-tobacco flavours in all nicotine products, including e-cigarettes, while accusing tobacconists of flouting advertising rules ...

Thinking outside the box: EU plans big shake-up of packaging and waste rules

Written by ECigIntelligence | 15th February 2023

The European Commission has issued a proposal for a revision of EU legislation on packaging and packaging waste, which could have profound long-term consequences for the vaping industry ...

German committee to discuss a ban as Euro pressure grows on single-use vapes

Written by Fernanda Tucunduva | 14th February 2023

Germany could end up lobbying for an EU-wide ban on disposable e-cigarettes if the government follows through on a Bavarian initiative which has rapidly gained support from other states ...

Disposables vs the environment: how some UK companies are facing the issues

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 7th February 2023

A solution to the environmental impact of disposable vaping products must be found if the industry wants to avoid seeing product bans pop up in more jurisdictions. Such a solution could come from the UK...

Italy reduces excise tax on e-cigs but targets them in anti-addiction measures

Written by ECigIntelligence | 2nd February 2023

Italy’s Budget Law for 2023, approved by the parliament on 29th December, has updated the excise tax on e-liquids with and without nicotine, slowing down the 2021 Budget Law planned increase ...

Netherlands further tightens ban on all non-tobacco-flavoured e-cigarettes

Written by ECigIntelligence | 30th January 2023

The Netherlands, usually considered quite permissive with a relatively laissez-faire attitude, is employing stricter flavour bans in an attempt to curb youth vaping ...

Tax sorted – now Russia’s legal vaping industry faces fresh existential threat

Written by ECigIntelligence | 24th January 2023

While a new tax regime, with duty no longer applying to devices, may be welcome, Russia’s vaping industry now faces a renewed threat of a total e-cigarette ban ...

Belgium places nicotine-free e-liquids under tobacco product regulations

Written by ECigIntelligence | 23rd January 2023

A decree issued by Belgium’s Ministry of Health has set out new rules for nicotine-free e-liquids, equating them with tobacco products because “they may entail similar health risks and social consequences” ...

Disposable vapes under fire in the UK as Waitrose bans them from its shelves

Written by Tiziana Cauli | 16th January 2023

UK supermarket chain Waitrose’s recent announcement that it would stop stocking disposable vaping devices in a bid to curb youth vaping rates as well as pollution was met with criticism for its alleged incoherence ...

Government consultation finds Scotland divided on vaping ads and promotion

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 6th January 2023

Vaping remains a very divisive topic in Scotland despite recent data showing the country continues to have the highest smoking rate in the UK ...

UK survey shows sharp rise in daily vapers, while smoking figures conflict

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 5th January 2023

There was a sharp rise in the number of daily vapers in Britain between 2020 and 2021 – particularly among men aged 25-34 – according to figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS)...

Where do we go now? ECigIntelligence’s guide to regulation expected in 2023

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 3rd January 2023

Disposables and youth vaping are likely to be the major themes for vaping in the year ahead, affecting debates on matters such as taxes, flavour bans and environmental measures ...

Nothing certain except flavour bans and taxes – that was the e-cig year that was

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 30th December 2022

Bans on flavours and taxes on vaping products dominated the e-cigarette news agenda in 2022. Both could be seen as responses to still rising concern about youth vaping ...

New Swiss laws to increase e-cig taxes, with disposables higher than reusables

Written by ECigIntelligence | 23rd December 2022

The Swiss Federal Council is currently preparing a preliminary draft to amend the Tobacco Products Act which is expected to be submitted to Parliament in the first half of 2023 ...

UK authorities up action against illegal vape products, but do small fines work?

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 22nd December 2022

Enforcement against illegal vaping products appears to be on the rise in the UK, but some worry whether minuscule penalties for non-compliance means that few bad actors will change their ways ...

Confusion bubbles up as Russian vaping product taxes remain in the melting pot

Written by ECigIntelligence | 21st December 2022

The Russian government is proposing to increase excise rates on nicotine-containing liquids and heated tobacco sticks, despite having all rates for the next couple of next years already set out in the Tax Code ...

BAT reports growth in vaping segment internationally, credits disposables

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 19th December 2022

British American Tobacco (BAT) said its “new category” business continues to drive substantial volume, revenue, and market share growth – significantly contributing to the company’s overall performance ...

Trade association welcomes Irish plan to restrict e-cig sales and advertising

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 15th December 2022

Ireland’s government recently approved the introduction of additional restrictions on the sale and advertising of e-cigarettes – proposals which have met with the approval of the country’s largest vaping trade association ...

Italy’s new government scraps planned increases in e-liquid excise duties

Written by Freddie Dawson | 8th December 2022

Excise duties on cigarettes in Italy will increase from 1st January, while those on heated tobacco and e-liquids will not rise at the rate previously laid out, under the new Italian government’s 2023 Budget Bill. The newly...

88Vape enjoys 47% growth thanks to enhanced portfolio and retail footprint

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 2nd December 2022

British low-cost vaping brand 88Vape enjoyed 47% growth in revenue from its vaping segment in the first half of 2023, underpinned by a combination of strong organic and acquisitive growth ...

Big fines and a dedicated task force as Denmark gets tough on ‘puff bars’

Written by ECigIntelligence | 1st December 2022

Danish suppliers of so-called “puff bars” have been fined a total of more than DKK36m (€4.8m) in a concerted national crackdown on the illegal trade in sweet-flavoured nicotine products thought to be aimed at children...

French bid to ban disposable e-cigs likely to run into difficulties at European level

Written by ECigIntelligence | 30th November 2022

France is considering various methods for tackling disposable e-cigarettes, which the government holds responsible for increasing youth uptake of vaping as well as having an outsize environmental impact ...

Changing definition of e-liquid ‘won’t hit Polish black market or halt tax avoidance’

Written by ECigIntelligence | 29th November 2022

Members of the Polish vaping industry are worried that proposed changes to the Excise Duty Act will not be enough to combat the black market and may make regulatory uncertainty worse ...

The who, what, where and how of Italian agency’s new rules on sales of e-liquids

Written by ECigIntelligence | 18th November 2022

A wider range of businesses in Italy will now be able to sell e-liquids and other tobacco products, including heated tobacco products, following a circular issued by the country’s Customs and Monopolies Agency (ADM) ...

PMI's effective takeover of Swedish Match – good news or bad for e-cigarette users?

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 16th November 2022

Philip Morris International (PMI) may run Swedish Match as if it wholly owned it, despite falling short of its 90% minimum stake threshold, in an effective takeover that has gone down well with harm reduction...

Successful French trial gives Imperial confidence to launch Blu 2.0 in UK

Written by Antonia Di Lorenzo | 15th November 2022

Tobacco giant Imperial Brands is rolling out a new pod-based vapour product in the UK following a successful trial in four selected French cities ...

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