Statement on the Public Consultation for feedback on the review of the Tobacco Excise Directive

21 August 2025

Statement on the Public Consultation for feedback on the review of the Tobacco Excise Directive

On 16 July 2025, the European Commission published its proposal for the revision of the Tobacco Excise Directive (TED). The proposal introduces significant changes to the existing framework, with direct implications for consumers, businesses, and public financial actors across the EU.

Five weeks after its adoption, however, the public consultation for feedback has not yet been opened. According to the Better Regulation Guidelines (SWD(2021) 305, Tool #54), stakeholders should normally be offered eight weeks to submit their views on adopted proposals. This step is a cornerstone of the EU’s transparency and inclusiveness framework, ensuring that feedback from all interested parties can inform the work of the co-legislators.

The absence of a public consultation for the TED revision is therefore inconsistent with established practice and risks undermining confidence in the EU’s commitment to transparent, predictable, and participatory policymaking.

Tobacco Europe strongly believes that:

• Public consultations are essential to ensure a balanced debate where all stakeholders — including consumers, businesses, and civil society — can share their views.
• Such consultations support accountability, as they allow stakeholders to highlight potential impacts, identify unintended consequences, and provide constructive recommendations.
• Consistency with the Better Regulation Guidance is fundamental to preserving trust in EU decision-making processes and in ensuring high-quality legislation.

For this reason, Tobacco Europe calls for the immediate opening of the public consultation on the TED revision so that the EU’s established rules on transparency and inclusiveness are respected.