Market & regulatory data for the vapour sector in Norway

11th June 2024: Norway: The Ministry of Health enacted an amendment to the regulations on the approval scheme for new tobacco and nicotine products, which extends the ban on nicotine-containing e-cigarettes until 1st July 2025.
5th June 2024: Norway: The government has launched a public consultation on the regulations to introduce plain packaging for e-cigarettes, a ban on distance sales of tobacco products and e-cigarettes, and procedural rules for the approval of new nicotine products. The plain packaging regulations also propose that e-liquids should be colourless or light yellow, the refill containers should be transparent and colourless, and the lid should be transparent, black or white. The deadline to submit comments is 1st September 2024.
18th January 2024: Norway: The Directorate of Health has recently updated the webpage dedicated to e-cigarettes, indicating that the ban on nicotine-containing e-cigarettes in Norway will be lifted in 2024. However, a specific date for the lift is not mentioned. On 4th February 2022, the Norwegian European Economic Area (EEA) Committee decided to incorporate the EU Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) into the EEA Agreement. However, the EEA Committee’s decision, and thus the legalisation of nicotine-containing e-cigs, will not come into force until the Storting (Norwegian parliament) has given its consent. After the approval of bill 125 in December 2023, Norway will implement a flavour ban starting from 1st July 2024. The bill also introduced plain packaging for e-cigarettes, which must be implemented through additional regulations.
20th December 2023: Norway: Parliament has definitively approved bill 125L, which bans non-tobacco-flavoured e-liquids and introduces plain packaging for e-cigarettes starting 1st July 2024. On 4th February 2022, the Norwegian European Economic Area (EEA) Committee decided to incorporate the EU Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) into the EEA Agreement. However, the EEA Committee’s decision, and thus the legalisation of nicotine-containing e-cigs, will not come into force until the Storting (Norwegian parliament) has given its consent. The entry into force of the new restrictions may coincide with the lifting of the nicotine-containing e-cigarette ban.
24th November 2023: Norway: Parliament has passed the first reading of bill 125L, which aims to ban non-tobacco-flavoured e-liquids and introduce plain packaging for e-cigarettes. The proposal from the Committee on Health and Care Services to introduce a legislative framework that permits flavoured nicotine-containing e-cigs as a smoking cessation tool was rejected by the parliament.
17th November 2023: Norway: The parliamentary Committee on Health and Care Services has submitted recommendations to bill 125L, which aims to ban non-tobacco-flavoured e-liquids and introduce plain packaging for e-cigarettes. The committee has advised the government against implementing a flavour ban due to concerns that it might drive consumers toward the black market, potentially resulting in the use of unsafe e-liquids. Additionally, the committee has suggested that the government develops a legislative framework that permits flavoured nicotine-containing e-cigs as a smoking cessation tool. On 4th February 2022, the Norwegian European Economic Area (EEA) Committee decided to incorporate the Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) into the EEA Agreement. However, the EEA Committee’s decision, and thus the legalisation of nicotine-containing e-cigs, will not come into force until the Storting (parliament) has given its consent. The introduction of this bill might mean that the ban on nicotine-containing vapour products will be lifted in 2024.
12th June 2023: Norway: The government has submitted a bill to amend the Tobacco Act, which aims to ban non-tobacco-flavoured e-liquids and introduce plain packaging for e-cigarettes. On 4th February 2022, the Norwegian European Economic Area (EEA) Committee decided to incorporate the Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) into the EEA Agreement. However, the EEA Committee's decision, and thus the legalisation of nicotine-containing e-cigarettes, will not come into force until the Storting (parliament) has given its consent. The introduction of this bill might mean that the ban on nicotine-containing vapour products will be lifted in 2023.
31st March 2023: Norway: The Ministry of Health has presented a public health report that introduces a new national tobacco strategy. The government aims to introduce further restrictions on e-cigarettes such as standardised packaging, a flavour ban, increasing the legal age to buy e-cigarettes to 20, tightening advertising rules and banning long-distance sales. In February 2023, the government notified a bill to the European Commission TRIS database to introduce plain packaging for e-cigarettes and ban non-tobacco flavours in e-liquids. The Norwegian European Economic Area (EEA) Committee decided on 4th February 2022 to incorporate the Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) into the EEA Agreement. However, the EEA Committee's decision, and thus the legalisation of nicotine-containing e-cigarettes, will not enter into force until the Storting (parliament) has given its consent. On its webpage on e-cigarettes the Health Directorate says the ban on nicotine-containing vapour products is likely to be lifted in 2023.
1st February 2023: Norway: The government notified a bill to the European Commission TRIS database that aims to introduce plain packaging for e-cigarettes and ban non-tobacco flavours in e-liquids. The Norwegian European Economic Area (EEA) Committee decided on 4th February 2022 to incorporate the Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) into the EEA Agreement. However, the EEA Committee's decision, and thus the legalisation of nicotine-containing e-cigarettes, will not enter into force until the Storting (parliament) has given its consent. The Health Directorate in its online page on e-cigarettes says the ban on nicotine-containing vapour products is likely to be lifted in 2023.
15th June 2022: Norway: The Health Directorate has updated its online page on e-cigarettes, which now says the ban on nicotine-containing vapour products is likely to be lifted in 2023.

LATEST ALERTS

E-cigarettes in Norway

Focus on vape product packaging: Norway and the Netherlands prefer theirs plain

Norwegian vaping legalisation, should it finally happen, could create dead market

Haypp Group happy with UK vaping pilot and looking to expand sales in Europe

Snapshot: Norway, March 2021

COVID-19 online markets tracker

Snapshot: Norway, December 2019

Top changes that matter in this month’s Policy Radar update, May 2024

Norway: e-cigarette regulation, August 2023

Global policy on novel nicotine products: analysis from our new Policy Radar

Interested in this region? Check our new country subscriptions

Detailed pricing tracker

Online e-cig pricing: Norway

Europe regulatory tracker, September

Tamarind Intelligence Policy Radar, July

Key global e-cigarette markets database, August 2024

ECigIntelligence compliance calendar

European intellectual property regulatory database

European e-cig stakeholders database

Sign up to our newsletter

LATEST ALERTS

E-cigarettes in Norway

Interested in this region? Check our new country subscriptions

Sign up to our newsletter

Start your FREE trial