Market & legal data of alternative tobacco products in Europe

E-cigs and HnB could get some relief from a new Estonian government

Written by Marija Obradovic | 14th March 2019

With talks still ongoing to form a government following Estonia’s parliamentary elections, there is hope for a policy change on e-cigarettes and heated tobacco in one of the most restrictive vapour...

Spanish public backs restrictions to match limits on smoking

Written by David Palacios Rubio | 5th March 2019

A new survey reveals that more than half of Spaniards would restrict the use of vaping and novel tobacco products in public places in the same way as...

Decree brings regulation of HnB and e-cigs to Belarus for the first time

Written by David Palacios Rubio | 18th February 2019

A new decree in Belarus regulates electronic cigarettes and heated tobacco for the first time in the country, introducing a number of restrictions after years of no...

BAT and PMI test the legal waters again with F1 sponsorships

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 14th February 2019

The now-controversial link between Big Tobacco and Formula 1 racing is being renewed, with tie-ups between two leading teams and two tobacco giants facing legal scrutiny ...

Italy reduces heat-not-burn and e-cigarette tax burden by up to 80%

Written by David Palacios Rubio | 14th December 2018

Italy has passed the much anticipated law reducing tax on e-liquids and halving duties on heated tobacco. The decree cuts the duty on nicotine-containing liquids from 50% to 10% of the tax on conventional...

Plain packaging and usage restrictions among Dutch plans for e-cigs

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 26th November 2018

The Dutch government is proposing to insist on plain packaging for e-cigarette products from 2022. That is one of the startling measures proposed in the long-awaited National Prevention Agreement ...

Court of Justice rejects Swedish Match bid to overturn European snus ban

Written by David Palacios Rubio | 22nd November 2018

The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has upheld the ban on the sale of snus which has applied since 1992 in the whole EU except Sweden, which was granted an exemption under the 2014 Tobacco Products Directive (TPD)...

EU tells Belgium it can’t make up all its own rules on HnB

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 13th November 2018

Attempts by Belgium to impose new strict regulations on heated-tobacco products may run into problems with the European...

Dutch health minister Blokhuis plans crackdown on e-cigs and HnB

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 8th November 2018

Dutch health secretary Paul Blokhuis is to reveal this month a proposed new set of regulations on heated tobacco and e-cigarettes, part of the National Prevention Agreement on smoking, obesity and alcohol ...

Belgium moves to add HnB devices to the ban on online sales

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 6th November 2018

Internet sales of heated-tobacco devices will shortly be banned in Belgium, where selling e-cigarettes online has been illegal since 2016 ...

Government survey finds one in five young Germans has tried vaping

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 5th November 2018

The number of people vaping in Germany is rising, with those aged between 16 and 29 particularly drawn to e-cigarettes, according to the federal government’s latest drug and addiction report ...

Czech Republic HnB tax is likely to be applied early next year

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 31st October 2018

The Czech parliament is considering a bill to introduce an excise tax next year on heated tobacco products. Under the plan, the tax rate would be set at CZK2.236 (€0.09) per gram of tobacco ...

UK budget includes new tax on heated tobacco at higher than expected rate

Written by Barnaby Page | 30th October 2018

The UK will next year introduce one of Europe’s highest taxes for heated tobacco (heat-not-burn) products, following an announcement in the Chancellor’s...

Good but could be better – 2018 no longer looks quite as rosy for BAT

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 17th October 2018

British American Tobacco (BAT) has lowered its expectations of its heated tobacco and vaping products this year – but still anticipates continuing growth ...

PMI predicts a big future for IQOS – ‘30% of our sales by 2025’

Written by David Palacios Rubio | 12th October 2018

PMI confidently expects to shift more heated tobacco devices and consumables in the next few years as a fall is anticipated in sales of combustible cigarettes ...

COP8 fails to bring parties together on the crucial risk/benefit question

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 9th October 2018

COP8 closed its doors in Geneva with governments struggling to regulate e-cigarettes due to the lack of scientific proof on potential risks or benefits ...

ENDS and means up for debate at WHO’s COP8 gathering

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 27th September 2018

The role of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco will again be discussed next week at the eighth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP8) to the WHO’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control...

European Commission told: we don’t want an EU e-cig tax

Written by David Palacios Rubio | 25th September 2018

Most respondents to the European Commission’s consultation on tobacco excise duties do not want a European tax on e-cigarettes. Almost 70% said the best level of tax on e-cigarettes would be no more than the...

MPs back easing of e-cig regulation – but leave the door open to taxes

Written by Freddie Dawson | 17th August 2018

Conclusions and recommendations from the Parliamentary Science and Technology Committee investigation into e-cigarettes have confirmed yet again the UK’s status as the most vape-friendly major...

PMI runs into trouble with UK government over IQOS ads

Written by David Palacios Rubio | 24th July 2018

Philip Morris International (PMI) is seeking an “urgent meeting” with the UK Department of Health after being told to stop advertising its heated tobacco device...

UK’s tax plans include a new category for heated tobacco

Written by Freddie Dawson | 9th July 2018

Heated-tobacco products are to receive their own taxation category and rate in the UK. A rate and commencement date for the duty on tobacco consumables for heat-not-burn (HnB) products will be announced in the autumn...

HnB and e-liquids bring manufacturing boost to Eastern Europe

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 4th July 2018

E-cigarette manufacturers and tobacco giants are increasing investment in Central and Eastern Europe, building new plants or expanding existing ones to meet growing demand for new tobacco alternatives ...

Scots to consult on their vision for a tobacco-free future

Written by Freddie Dawson | 27th June 2018

The Scottish government will consult on a range of new regulations for reduced-risk products, including further restrictions on e-cig advertising, banning some flavours in Hnb products, and banning their public...

Italy’s vapers breathe a sigh of relief as new government steps in

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 7th June 2018

After several weeks of hectic negotiations between the Lega and Five Star Movement parties – both of which have expressed a commitment to vaping – the new coalition has finally taken power in...

Netherlands pulls out of international e-cig and tobacco committees

Written by David Palacios Rubio | 6th June 2018

The Netherlands is pulling out of a number of international e-cigarette and tobacco committees, blaming industry interference, but will carry on with regulation of heated tobacco and nicotine-free...

Industry fears over possible European tax on vaping products

Written by David Palacios Rubio | 25th May 2018

Concern over a future European tax on e-cigarettes is sure to rise following the launch of a second consultation on the subject by European Union (EU)...

Imperial planning further pushes ahead into smokeless market

Written by David Palacios Rubio | 21st May 2018

Imperial Brands will focus on its next generation portfolio and expand its e-cigarette Myblu into new markets in order to give itself a better alternative to traditional tobacco...

PMI: ‘no ceiling in sight for heated tobacco products’

Written by David Palacios Rubio | 18th May 2018

PMI expects its reduced-risk portfolio and continued good performance in Asian countries to continue to drive growth and aims to have at least 30% of its shipment volume to consist of new tobacco products by...

PMI and Altria report cigarettes down, HnB and vapour up

Written by David Palacios Rubio | 2nd May 2018

While sales of traditional cigarettes continue to decline worldwide, PMI is increasingly relying on its heated-tobacco device IQOS to buoy up its financial results, particularly through sales in Japan and Korea ...

UK ministers consider advertising policy – both their own and PMI’s

Written by Freddie Dawson | 30th April 2018

The UK government is keeping an eye on the advertising of heated tobacco products such as IQOS, while defending reduced budgets for its own smoking cessation...

Court lifts Switzerland’s ban on sales of e-cigs with nicotine

Written by Elba Manzanilla Zapata | 30th April 2018

The Swiss Federal Administrative Court has reportedly lifted the sales ban on nicotine-containing e-cigarettes issued in 2015 by the Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office...

Creativity and controversy – how PMI spreads the word about IQOS

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 23rd April 2018

Promotional activity of various kinds, some of it highly creative, has helped PMI expand the global market share for IQOS – but not without a share of...

Philip Morris set to appeal against Lithuanian ban on advertising IQOS

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 23rd April 2018

A Philip Morris subsidiary has been fined for breaking Lithuanian tobacco advertising laws with an IQOS campaign in a decision that may have implications for wider European heated-tobacco...

Cigarette production ends as PMI turns Greek plant over to HnB consumables

Written by David Palacios Rubio | 26th March 2018

Philip Morris International has ceased production of traditional cigarettes at its Papastratos factory in the Athens suburb of Aspropyrgos in Greece, which will now manufacture only Heets, the tobacco sticks for...

Change afoot in Russia as Moscow puts forward plan for national regulation

Written by David Palacios Rubio | 22nd March 2018

E-cigarettes and heated tobacco are currently subject to very little regulation in Russia – but that could be about to change, with proposals coming from both the federal trade ministry and the Moscow City Duma...

Brussels consults again on plans for a European e-cig and HnB tax

Written by David Palacios Rubio | 7th March 2018

A new public consultation by the tax authorities in Brussels aims to help set a standard excise duty for e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products at European...

IQOS/Ferrari F1 partnership is confirmed – but no logo yet in view

Written by David Palacios Rubio | 27th February 2018

PMI and the Ferrari Formula 1 team have confirmed their partnership for the 2018 Grand Prix season, but the IQOS logo has not yet appeared on the Italian team’s new...

BAT now claims to be biggest reduced-risk tobacco company in the world

Written by Freddie Dawson | 23rd February 2018

British American Tobacco claims to be the largest reduced-risk product company in the world following its acquisition of Reynolds American and says it will build on this through a variety of HnB, moist tobacco and...

As cigarette sales fall, PMI and JT plan further HnB investment

Written by David Palacios Rubio | 16th February 2018

As tobacco giants Philip Morris International (PMI) and Japan Tobacco (JT) have been hit by falling tobacco sales, revenues from their e-cigarette and heat-not-burn (HnB) portfolios have increased ...

Public Health England blames the media for giving vaping a bad name

Written by Barnaby Page | 7th February 2018

The latest evidence review by Public Health England credits e-cigs with helping 20,000 people a year quit smoking, and blames distorted media reporting for that figure not being a lot...

Spanish health authorities investigate IQOS online ad campaign

Written by David Palacios Rubio | 5th February 2018

Authorities in the Catalonia region of Spain are investigating whether PMI broke Spanish law with a series of online banner advertisements for its IQOS heated tobacco...

IQOS could hit the motorsport trail in tie-ups with Ferrari and Ducati

Written by David Palacios Rubio | 25th January 2018

PMI is strongly rumoured to be preparing sponsorship deals with Ferrari and Ducati to promote its IQOS heated-tobacco brand on the world motor-racing circuits of Formula 1 and MotoGP ...

Brussels postpones tax decision on e-cigarettes and heated tobacco

Written by David Palacios Rubio | 12th January 2018

The European Commission has said it will review the future tax situation of e-cigarettes and heated-tobacco products in 2019, and will not propose a revision of the Directive 2011/64/EU on excise duty applied to manufactured...

Regulation, creativity and variety – that was the e-cig year that was

Written by TobaccoIntelligence | 27th December 2017

ECigIntelligence’s review of the year gone by reflects the big stories of the e-cigarette world in 2017, the trends in regulation, the developing and diverging markets, the science and innovation, and peers into the crystal...

HnB v e-cigs – UK toxicity committee wants to see how they match up

Written by Barnaby Page | 18th December 2017

The UK government committee which this month concluded that heat-not-burn products are safer than combustibles now wants to compare them to...

Switzerland tries again with fresh proposal to regulate e-cigs and HnB

Written by David Palacios Rubio | 14th December 2017

The Swiss Federal Council has put forward a second draft of its proposed Tobacco Act, which aims specifically to regulate e-cigarettes and heat-not-burn (HnB)...

Heated tobacco on the agenda as European Commission mulls next TPD

Written by David Palacios Rubio | 2nd December 2017

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...

EU-wide tax on e-cigs remains on back burner as report is delayed

Written by David Palacios Rubio | 27th November 2017

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...

The way ahead: Big Tobacco looks to a smoke-free next generation

Written by David Palacios Rubio | 20th November 2017

Big Tobacco is moving towards a smoke-free future, with all the leading companies indicating a focus in 2018 on next generation products, whether e-cigarettes or heated tobacco...

Glo ‘could transform’ tobacco consumption in Russia, says BAT

Written by David Palacios Rubio | 23rd October 2017

BAT has announced the launch of its Glo heat-not-burn (HnB) device in Russia, where the device can be bought online and Neostiks consumables will be available in branded stores ...

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