Market & legal data in the tobacco alternatives sector in Hungary

4th November 2024: Hungary: The Ministry of Finance has introduced a bill to the parliament that would increase the applicable tax on heated tobacco and herbal heated sticks from HUF35 (€0.086) per stick to HUF38 (€0.093) per stick, and the tax on nicotine pouches from HUF25,960 (€64) per kg to HUF28,060 (€69) per kg.
17th June 2024: Hungary: The bill notified to the European Commission back in August 2023 through the EU TRIS notification system – which sought to regulate nicotine pouches, including product restrictions, notification and labelling requirements – was published in the Official Gazette on 10th June 2024 and will enter into force on 25th June 2024. The new provisions for nicotine pouches include a ban on additives listed in Annex 4 of government decree 39/2013, a limit of 17 mg of nicotine per pouch, the requirement of a health warning, and a maximum capacity of 20 pouches per box. The bill also introduces notification requirements and product restrictions for herbal heated products.
7th March 2024: Hungary: The Supervisory Authority for Regulatory Activities (SARA) has provided TobaccoIntelligence with the sales volumes of heated tobacco products (HTPs), herbal heated products (HHPs) and nicotine pouches for last year. From 1st January to 31st December 2023, 3bn sticks of heated tobacco, 2.9m herbal heated sticks and 27,900 kg of nicotine pouches were sold nationwide. The amounts of heated tobacco sticks and nicotine pouches sold in Hungary have increased significantly in the last few years: in 2021, the amount of heated tobacco sticks sold was 1.6bn sticks, and the figure in 2022 was 2.6bn sticks. For nicotine pouches, the amount sold in 2021 was 8,200 kg, and in 2022 it was 16,009 kg.
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 pouches subject to the EU common product notification requirement. Nicotine pouches 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 that would regulate nicotine pouches, including product restrictions, notification and labelling requirements. These would include a ban on additives listed in Annex 4 of Government Decree 39/2013, a limit of 17 mg of nicotine per pouch, an obligation for manufacturers and importers to notify products before placing them on the market, the requirement of a health warning, and a maximum capacity of 20 pouches per box.
7th July 2023: Hungary: Amendments to the government decree on the production, distribution and control of tobacco products, on combined warnings, and healthcare penalties were published in the Official Gazette yesterday, 6th July. The amendments transpose the EU-wide heated tobacco flavour ban set out in Commission Delegated Directive (EU) 2022/2100. Heated tobacco products will still be considered smokeless tobacco products in Hungary. The provisions will enter into force on 23rd October 2023.
23rd June 2023: Hungary: The government has published a draft decree seeking to transpose the EU-wide heated tobacco flavour ban set out in Commission Delegated Directive (EU) 2022/2100. Heated tobacco products would still be considered smokeless tobacco products, thus their health warning requirements would not change.
14th April 2023: Hungary: The government has notified a bill to the European Commission's TRIS database that would make nicotine pouches subject to the EU common product notification system for tobacco products. The bill would also enable the government to, via a decree, require that nicotine pouches carry a health warning.
8th February 2023: Hungary: The Supervisory Authority for Regulatory Affairs has told TobaccoIntelligence that approximately 2.6bn heated tobacco sticks and 16,009,229 g of nicotine pouches were 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.
7th February 2023: Hungary: The Ministry of Finance has told TobaccoIntelligence that approximately HUF63.8bn (€162.4m) was collected in taxes on heated tobacco products in 2022, while approximately HUF27bn (€69m) was raised in tax on nicotine pouches.
1st February 2023: Hungary: Tobacco- and nicotine-free herbal sticks compatible with heating devices start being taxed as of today, 1st February, at HUF35 (€0.090) per stick, pursuant to the rules published in the Official Gazette on 19th December that included them in the tobacco framework.

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