Alternative tobacco and nicotine products in Belgium

Belgium: British American Tobacco (BAT) is to take a challenge to Belgium’s highest administrative court, the Council of State, against the royal decree banning nicotine pouches, press reports. BAT will argue that health minister Frank Vandenbroucke did not wait for an opinion from the Superior Health Council and did not take into account recent scientific research on the subject before announcing the ban, which is due to come into effect on 1st October.

Belgium: The government has notified on the EU TRIS database a bill to transpose Commission Delegated Directive (EU) 2022/2100 on the withdrawal of certain exemptions for heated tobacco products. The bill would bring the EU flavour ban into national law, define heat-not-burn (HnB) as novel tobacco products for smoking and apply health warnings as for smokable tobacco products. It would extend the current framework for smokable herbal products to heated herbal products and bring heated tobacco and heated herbal devices within the tobacco framework, introducing notification, packaging and labelling requirements. It would also bring in a long-distance sales ban on all products and devices and update notification fees. The standstill period for comments ends on 26th July.

Belgium: The Superior Health Council has issued a report on the impact of cigarette filters on public health and the environment, calling for them to be banned nationally and at EU level. It says analysis shows that filters do not reduce the harmful effects of tobacco on health and have a clear negative impact on the environment as they are very slow to decompose. Though the report does not mention heated tobacco products or other alternative nicotine products, the council recommendations might have an impact on those products too.

Belgium: Health minister Frank Vandenbroucke has banned the sale of nicotine pouches, and cannabinoid-containing pouches, through a royal decree which will come into force on 1st July (or 1st October for retailers). Vandenbroucke announced in January his intention to ban the pouches after the Belgian government notified a proposal to that effect to the TRIS database in June 2022. That proposal received negative opinions from Croatia, Hungary and Sweden, while the European Commission made no comment.

Belgium: The 2022-2028 Strategy for a Tobacco-Free Generation has been agreed by a joint group of federal and regional health ministers. The plan sets several objectives, including banning nicotine pouches and cannabinoid-containing pouches; reducing the price differential between different tobacco products; improving health promotion; banning vending-machine sales; tighter restrictions on long-distance sales and advertising; and keeping the tobacco industry out of the preparation and implementation of public health policy.

Belgium: The Federal Public Service for Health, Food Chain Safety and Environment has told TobaccoIntelligence that the draft 2022-2028 Strategy for a Tobacco-Free Generation will be voted on on 14th December by an interministerial conference on public health made up of federal and regional ministers. The plan sets several objectives, including reducing the price gap between different tobacco products; keeping the tobacco industry out of the preparation and implementation of public health policies; improving health promotion policies; a ban on vending machine sales; tighter restrictions on long-distance sales and advertising; and improving the make-up of tobacco products.

Belgium: Health minister Frank Vandenbroucke has proposed a ban on tobacco vending machines in bars, restaurants and catering facilities, allowing them only in supermarkets. The ban would include vaping products and nicotine pouches as well as conventional tobacco products. The bill is moving forward and has been voted on at its first reading.

Belgium: The government was today presenting its 2023 Budget, which was expected to include further increases in excise duty on tobacco products over the next two years and a vapour products tax to start in 2024, media reports.