Market & regulatory data for the vapour sector in Austria

12th December 2024: Austria: The head of the tobacco monopoly administration, Hannes Hofer, expressed his concern about the lack of taxation on nicotine products, press reports. He also advocates turning the tobacco monopoly into a “nicotine monopoly”, and restricting the sale of e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches to tobacconists. “Uncontrolled sales endanger the health of our young people,” Hofer said.
8th November 2024: Austria: The Federal Ministry of Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection has notified an ordinance to the European Commission’s TRIS database with the list of prohibited ingredients in e-cigarette and heated tobacco products. The list is already published informatively on the ministry’s website, but the intention of the notification is to create legal certainty for manufacturers, importers and distributors that the ingredients listed are prohibited and subject to the legally standardised ban.
9th October 2024: Austria: Following the EU’s proposal for the revision of the 2009 Council recommendation on smoke-free environments to extend the existing restrictions to novel inhalable products and to introduce new areas in which their consumption would be prohibited, members of Parliament (MPs) from all parties spoke out against further bans. The Greens (a member of the coalition government), the Social Democratic Party and NEOS - The New Austria and Liberal Forum (opposition parties) all stressed that a reduction in the number of smokers is desirable, but this must be achieved through information and awareness work and not through bans, press reports.
30th September 2024: Austria: The far-right Freedom Party (FPO) has won the elections with 28.8% of the vote and will now have to form a coalition government. The party has traditionally been vocal against restrictions on tobacco products and e-cigarettes, arguing for freedom of choice rather than for state intervention in the sector.
5th August 2024: Austria: The Federal Ministry of Social Affairs, Health and Consumer Protection has published a fact sheet on the use of new nicotine products. The document shows that 4.4% of Austrians aged 15 and over use e-cigarettes daily or almost daily. It concludes that, although the increase in the use of nicotine products is partially compensated for by their use in the cessation of daily cigarette smoking, they are also being used by young people to start using nicotine. The ministry considers the high prevalence of the use of e-cigarettes, especially among young people, to be problematic from the point of view of health, addiction prevention and addiction treatment.
19th June 2024: Austria: The Federal Ministry of Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection has issued a health warning against the vaping products “CBD cartridge, Bedtime” and “CBD cartridge, Energize” from the manufacturer Euphoria Trade. According to the ministry, if the oil gets into the lungs when inhaled it can lead to serious respiratory diseases, and it has advised consumers not to use the products and dispose of them immediately.
17th July 2023: Austria: The Federal Ministry of Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection has drawn up a non-exhaustive list of prohibited substances in e-liquids. The list is intended to specify the ingredient restrictions set by the Tobacco and Non-Smoker Protection Act. For nicotine-containing products, ingredients such as cannabidiol, glucose, and fructose are included on the list.
13th June 2023: Austria: The Ministry of Health has told ECigIntelligence that an amendment to the Tobacco and Non-Smokers Protection Act is currently undergoing political co-ordination and will later be submitted to Parliament. No specific dates were disclosed, and it is not yet known whether the amendment will affect the regulation of e-cigarettes.
14th February 2023: Austria: The Austrian Association of Waste Management Companies has issued a statement calling for a ban on disposable e-cigarettes, which it calls “a dangerous environmental sin”. Association president Gabriele Jüly said: “Disposable e-cigarettes are a controversial throwaway product: they are expensive to produce, have a short life span and waste scarce raw materials. Education about the environmental and health risks for consumers is absolutely necessary and a sales ban is the only consequence.” A public survey by the association found 83% of 1,000 respondents backed a ban.
15th December 2022: Austria: Health minister Johannes Rauch is working on an amendment to the Tobacco and Non-Smoker Protection Law to extend the range of public outdoor spaces where smoking is banned, press reports. It is not yet known whether the amendment, which is expected to be reviewed at the start of 2023, will affect e-cigarettes.
12th December 2022: Austria: The Austrian government has notified a bill to the European Commission's TRIS database to amend the Children and Young People Act. The bill bans the sale, possession and consumption of tobacco and related products, including devices, for children and young people (under-18s). The ban includes e-cigarettes with or without nicotine.
30th June 2022: Austria: Manufacturers or importers must pay the relevant annual fee for the notification of common products by today (30th June).

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