Regulatory and market intelligence for the e-cigarette sector
This page covers all of our European regulatory news briefings. These include all stories relating to individual European countries, as well as more general updates and briefings from the continent as a whole. These range from changes and developments in legislation and restrictions to new proposals and policy developments.
Tighter regulation “is on the way” for e-cigs, according to the European Commission’s commissioner for health and food safety, Vytenis Andriukaitis, who sees “possibilities” for “stronger regulation” to “stop advertising and online sales”
The British Medical Association – the doctors’ trade union – has dropped its opposition to e-cigarettes and urged its members to recommend vaping as a means to quit smoking
Sweden is to join its Scandinavian neighbours Finland and Denmark in adding vaping to its ban on smoking in a variety of public places. The country is also preparing to tax e-liquids, with or without nicotine
Deep social inequalities among the smoking population have long been recognised; the question now is whether e-cigarettes can help to correct them, or whether they may even widen the health gap
The European Commission is considering whether to propose an EU-wide tax on e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products, but may choose not to do so for now, following a public consultation
New meta-analyses showing e-cigarettes as positive tools for smoking cessation are lacking – and that comes down to just one person in one controlled trial, according to an expert on health research
The head of Britain’s committee looking into the science behind e-cigarettes has confirmed his personal sympathy with vaping but maintains that he must focus on evidence and science.
Foundation for a Smoke-Free World, the controversial research endowment fund initially endowed for $1bn by Philip Morris International (PMI), has committed to instituting “almost all” good-governance suggestions put to it by harm reduction experts.
Spain has taken a crucial step towards banning cross-border sales of nicotine-containing products, including e-cigarettes, and imposing a number of other new marketing restrictions
Some Polish politicians, opposed to the government, are trying to stop the country’s planned tax on e-liquids and instead introduce their own e-cigarette bill to parliament
The Italian Constitutional Court in Rome has ruled that taxing non-nicotine e-liquids is legitimate, ending a temporary suspension imposed in 2015 by a lower court
Reports of scientific research into e-cigarettes should be approached with caution – especially if they appear stridently either pro or anti – one of Britain’s leading researchers warns
Pre-school children will be given e-cigarettes to play with and try to switch on as German authorities work to establish a national standard for child-proofing the products
The UK government is being urged by both an all-party parliamentary lobby group and the British Psychological Society to keep promoting e-cigs as a means to stop smoking
EU legislation currently has no clear category for hybrid devices – leaving a loophole manufacturers may be able to use to their advantage, enabling them to choose their own regulatory regime
A re-formed UK parliamentary committee is to examine the science behind e-cigarettes, with a view to informing future policy and regulation
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 industry.
A UK parliament backbench debate on the new tobacco control plan acknowledged the role e-cigarettes have played, and will continue to play, but did little to address the concerns of some industry stakeholders.
New endorsements from public bodies in the UK could move e-cigarettes a step closer to being offered on prescription by NHS doctors as aids to quitting smoking
A German retailer has been ordered to stop selling a Joyetech eGo model on the grounds that its screw-top is not child-proof, and has warned that a national ban could follow
A decision by Germany’s highest law court has made it clear that the ban on advertising tobacco products – which includes nicotine-containing e-cigarettes – extends to the internet
While most attention has been paid to the effects of the EU Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) within individual markets, it also imposes new demands on cross-border sellers
Slovenia’s Constitutional Court has been asked to rule on whether the country’s ban on online e-cigarette sales contravenes the national constitution
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
Heat-not-burn (HnB) products could benefit from greater marketing opportunities in the European Union than e-cigarettes and combustible tobacco as the heating devices are not themselves considered to be tobacco products
The UK bodies in charge of advertising regulatory code have put forward a yes/no consultation on proposals to loosen restrictions on e-cigarette health claims in advertisements.
A new bill to liberate e-cigarettes in Britain from the EU TPD has been proposed by MP Christopher Chope, but questions remain over its seriousness. Still, the industry welcomes the opportunity for law-makers to debate the issue.
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
Three new UK studies offer conflicting conclusions on the possible link between young people trying e-cigarettes and those who become smokers – but what does the weight of evidence suggest overall?
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
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