Market and legal data for the vapour sector in Hungary

9th August 2024: Hungary: The Hungarian Competition Authority (GVH) has fined a Slovak company selling e-cigarettes online in Hungary in the amount of HUF189m (€478,000). The GVH said the Slovak company engaged in unfair commercial practices, as the company was claiming that the products were being legally distributed in Hungary, but Hungarian law forbids the sale of e-cigarettes online.
17th June 2024: Hungary: The bill seeking to make nicotine-free refills subject to the product restrictions and labelling requirements already applicable to other non-nicotine products – such as nicotine-free disposable e-cigarettes – was published in the Official Gazette on 10th June 2024. The bill closes a loophole that allowed nicotine-free refill bottles to remain unregulated in the country, and it also prohibits CBD from being added to e-liquids. It was notified back in August 2023 through the EU TRIS notification system, and will enter into force on 25th June 2024.
7th March 2024: Hungary: The Supervisory Authority for Regulatory Activities (SARA) has provided ECigIntelligence with the sales volumes of e-liquids for last year. From 1st January to 31st December 2023, 11,973,196 ml of e-liquids were sold nationwide. The quantity of e-liquid sold in Hungary has been increasing annually: in 2021, 9,512,373 ml were sold, and in 2022, the amount of e-liquids sold was 10,855,642 ml.
31st January 2024: Hungary: In a statement issued yesterday (30th January) raising concerns over the widespread use and illegal sale of flavoured vaping products in the country, the Public Health Institute said that "e-cigarettes and new types of products are capable of causing nicotine addiction to the same extent as traditional cigarettes, and regular use has been proven to increase the likelihood of becoming addicted to traditional cigarettes".
9th January 2024: Hungary: Amendments to the law on the protection of non-smokers and the consumption and distribution of tobacco products were published in the Official Gazette last month to make nicotine-free refill bottles subject to the EU common product notification requirement and to the same retail restrictions applicable to nicotine-containing e-cigarettes. Nicotine-free refill bottles already in circulation must be notified by 28th February 2024.
8th August 2023: Hungary: The government yesterday notified the European Commission via the TRIS notification system of a bill to make nicotine-free refills subject to the product restrictions and labelling requirements already applicable to other non-nicotine products, such as nicotine-free disposable e-cigarettes. The bill also includes CBD as a substance banned from inclusion in e-liquids, with or without nicotine.
8th August 2023: Hungary: The Hungarian Competition Authority has fined a Slovakian company around HUF39m (€100,000) for illegal advertising of e-cigarettes to consumers in Hungary, media reports.
14th April 2023: Hungary: The government has notified a bill to the European Commission's TRIS database that would make nicotine-free refill containers subject to the EU common product notification system. The bill would also enable the government to, via a decree, require that nicotine-free refill bottles and cartridges carry a health warning.
8th February 2023: Hungary: The Supervisory Authority for Regulatory Affairs has told ECigIntelligence that a total of 10,855,642 ml of e-liquid was sold in Hungary in 2022. This information is retrieved from the system to which every national tobacco shop must submit information on daily stock levels and turnover of all vaping products.
7th February 2023: Hungary: The Ministry of Finance has told ECigIntelligence that approximately HUF0.5bn (€1.27m) was collected in tax on e-liquids in 2022, compared to HUF0.2bn (€500,000) in 2021 and HUF0.4bn (€1m) in 2020. E-liquids, regardless of their nicotine content, are currently taxed at HUF33 (€0.084) per ml.
13th January 2023: Hungary: Following an investigation, which we reported on last year, into two Slovak companies selling Elf Bars online, the Hungarian Competition Authority (GVH) has fined one of them HUF68.1m (€172,000) for online advertising, online e-cigarette sales and for selling flavoured e-cigarettes, all of which remain prohibited in Hungary. The authority "assessed as an aggravating circumstance that the practice targeted vulnerable groups, such as young people and minors, that the company violated clear sector regulatory prohibitions, and that the products could cause serious health risks".
10th January 2023: Hungary: From 1st January the new excise duty on e-liquids, regardless of nicotine content, is HUF33 (€0.083) per ml.

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