Brussels, 3 February 2026
Tobacco Europe contributed to the Call for Evidence on Better Regulation.
Find more information on our position here: TE response COM call for evidence better regulation 26.02.03
Brussels, Monday 8 September
Tobacco Europe’s statement on France’s ban of nicotine pouches
Tobacco Europe takes note of the French government’s decision to ban nicotine pouches as of March 2026.
We regret that France has chosen a prohibitionist approach, rather than engaging in a science-based debate about the role of less harmful nicotine alternatives in reducing the burden of smoking. Evidence from several European countries shows that nicotine pouches, when properly regulated, can contribute to reducing smoking prevalence by offering adult smokers alternatives to continued cigarette use.
Banning an entire category of products denies adult consumers access to alternatives to traditional tobacco products for smoking. This policy risks being counterproductive for public health objectives to reduce smoking prevalence, and will likely lead to an increase in illicit trade.
Tobacco Europe continues to support the development of proportionate regulation for all nicotine products, with strict rules on quality, safety, marketing, and youth access prevention. Such an approach can both protect young people and support adult smokers who would otherwise continue to smoke.
We urge European policymakers to ensure that future regulations are proportionate – guided by scientific evidence, consumer needs, and the goal of reducing tobacco-related disease – rather than by prohibition.
On August 11, 2Firsts published an exclusive interview of Nathalie Darge, Tobacco Europe’s Director, to gather insights on “the EU Nicotine Sector’s Greatest Challenges”.
Brussels, 27 May 2025
Tobacco Europe has reached out to Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi to request further clarity on the upcoming Implementation Dialogues, as outlined in his mission letter from President von der Leyen.
These dialogues — set to take place at least twice a year — aim to ensure alignment between EU policy implementation and the realities experienced on the ground by stakeholders. The mission letter also refers to the preparation of an Annual Progress Report on Enforcement, highlighting the need for structured and inclusive stakeholder engagement.
Tobacco Europe would like to understand how the Commissioner intends to proceed with the organisation of these dialogues — including timelines, stakeholder engagement processes, and expected outcomes.
Please find the letter here Request from Tobacco Europe to Commissioner Varhelyi
Brussels, 19 May 2025
Tobacco Europe is increasingly alarmed about the growing number of dangerously misleading statements at EU level about vaping products. Most recently, during Monday 12 May’s exchange with the ENVI Committee, Commissioner Várhelyi stated that “vaping has created completely new health risks that are comparable or even bigger than smoking itself” and called for action “even beyond the Council recommendation”. This echoes earlier comments by Commissioner Hoekstra, who claimed that “vaping kills”.
Another worrying statement was made by Commissioner Várhelyi to the fact that vaping is causing ‘popcorn lung’. Importantly, Tobacco Europe would like to stress that popcorn lung risks are linked to unregulated, illicit products that may contain banned substances (such as diacetyl). Our members fully comply with EU and national safety standards, which notably prohibit such ingredients. In our views, effective enforcement is key to protecting public health – not prohibition. Tobacco Europe believes that such statements constitute dangerous misinformation that misleads EU citizens and potentially put lives at risk.
In addition, Tobacco Europe and its members share the justified concerns regarding underage people accessing all types of tobacco and nicotine products. It is not acceptable. While the issue needs to be dealt with urgently, as well as tackling the lack of enforcement, supporting the positive impact of alternatives for smokers is paramount. This requires better regulation backed by an overview of all science and data available.
These statements, alongside recent remarks made by the Belgian Health Minister and his cabinet – both in the press and during Council discussions – reinforce a troubling narrative. They also raise serious concerns about the direction of tobacco and nicotine policy discussions at a time when the European Commission is still conducting its evaluation of the Tobacco Products Directive. Tobacco Europe contends that such statements, lacking proper science-based justification, will undermine the Commission’s attempts to achieve “better regulation” as they are ungrounded in evidence and do not reflect industry realities.
Importantly, the companies we represent manufacture and market only products that fully comply with all applicable rules. The presence of non-compliant products in the Belgian market in no way reflects the responsible approach of our members, who strictly adhere to the rules in place.
The presence in Belgium of non-compliant products is a matter of enforcement by the authorities. It is their responsibility to ensure that rules are properly implemented and that illicit products are removed from the market.
The statements only reinforce what Tobacco Europe has long argued: Prohibitionist approaches are counterproductive. Bans and overly restrictive measures, such as Belgium’s ban of nicotine pouches and disposable electronic cigarettes, do not eliminate demand – they simply shift it to unregulated and illicit channels, undermining public health objectives, aggravating enforcement challenges, and resulting in state revenue losses.
The European Commission is running an evaluation of the Tobacco Products Directive. The steps taken afterwards should be based on robust evidence and in full consultation with the co-legislators, industry, and civil stakeholders. Premature and inflammatory political statements risk pre-empting this process and diminishing its credibility. Having acknowledged that their own initiatives have yet to deliver, we trust policymakers will honour – and not pre-empt – the integrity of the legislative process.
We welcome dialogue with national authorities. The persistence of illicit products is not only due to enforcement gaps but also to the exclusion of compliant industry stakeholders from regulatory discussions. This exclusion prevents policymakers from benefiting from our sector’s expertise, technical insight, and practical experience in building effective, enforceable solutions. Tobacco Europe´s members’ commitments go further than what is legally required, following a strict Code of Conduct that includes additional safeguards and responsible marketing practices to ensure products are sold and used appropriately.
Brussels, February 6
Following Tobacco Europe’s complaint lodged in March 2024, the Ombudsman has finally issued a decision on the 4th of February and informed us that they were closing the inquiry as the “the Ombudsman found that no further inquiries are justified in this case”.
While deciding that there is no cause for a financial conflict of interest, the Ombudsman’s findings confirm what Tobacco Europe has long argued: the Commission failed to acknowledge ENSP’s vested interests and concealed the bias in the legislative process involving the Tobacco Products Directive currently under evaluation.
The Ombudsman herself stated:
“It is regrettable that the Commission did not acknowledge ENSP’s interest in tobacco control in its exchanges with the complainant and then failed to explain how it assessed this interest in view of the ENSP’s role under the framework contract.”
This case highlights a deeper issue: the Commission’s selective interpretation of conflict-of-interest rules. While industry links are heavily scrutinized, ideological and institutional biases within NGOs remain unchecked. To the point where the Ombudsman reminds the Commission NGOs must be subject to the same conflict of interest standards:
“It is relevant to recall that the Commission must make a conflict of interest assessment in relation to all bidders in a procurement procedure, including non-governmental organisations” (emphasis added).
The Ombudsman’s decision serves as a wake-up call—EU-funded NGOs must be subject to the same transparency and accountability standards as all other stakeholders.
Find attached to this article the decision of the Ombudsman, and Tobacco Europe’s reactive statement to it.
TE Reactive Statement Ombudsman_ENSP_OE Final clean 05 02
DECISION_202400517_20250204_104705
Brussels, November 11, 2024
End of October, Tobacco Europe wrote to Mrs Juhansone, Secretary General, to ask whether the ongoing evaluation of the Tobacco Control Acquis, including the Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) and the Tobacco Advertising Directive (TAD), had been selected among the evaluations to be scrutinised by the Regulatory Scrutiny Board (RSB) this year or in 2025.
In her answer from November 29, Mrs Juhansone confirmed that the Evaluation of the legislative framework for tobacco control has been selected for scrutiny in 2025. Tobacco Europe welcomes such confirmation and hope this will ensure the quality of the evaluation and the soundness of any regulatory decisions stemming from it.
Find the full document here: SG response Tobacco Europe letter fin
Find Tobacco Europe’s letter here: Tobacco Europe letter to Secretary General on Evaluations
Brussels, October 14 2024
Tobacco Europe wrote this day to the Ombudsman to draw attention on a potential conflict of interest that involves Open Evidence, the leading party in the consortium contracted by the European Commission for services concerning EU actions in tobacco control, including the ongoing revision of the Tobacco control acquis.
This letter follows TE’s previous correspondence shared with the Ombudsman on 13th March, which already highlighted our concerns regarding both Open Evidence and ENSP (under investigation).
As detailed in the attached letter, Tobacco Europe and its members are worried about potential breaches of confidentiality, professional misconduct, and conflicts of interest, which could compromise the impartiality and objectivity required for the contractual work. This is why we urge the Ombudsman to thoroughly investigate these concerns and take appropriate actions towards the Commission to ensure the integrity and impartiality of the contracted work and that the proper measures are put in place to prevent such misconducts.
The full document can be found here: Tobacco Europe letter to the Ombudsman on Open Evidence 14.10.24
Brussels, August 6 2024
In this letter, DG SANTE replies to Tobacco Europe’s letter of May 8, and reiterates its position on the fact that there is no conflict of interest involving Open Evidence.
Find the full letter here: Reply_to_Ares(2024)3420053_Tobacco Europe_V2_clean
Brussels, July 28 2023
Find the full document here: Tobacco Europe_evaluation_Ares(2023)4270427_R1-A2
Subject: Procedural shortfalls identified in the public consultation on the evaluation of the legislative framework for tobacco control
RE: Procedural shortfalls identified in the public consultation on the Evaluation of The Legislative Framework for Tobacco Control in line with the Better Regulation Guidelines and other applicable frameworks
Brussels, 6 September 2023
TPD review: Final step of the consultation process
Tobacco Europe has been invited to a workshop organized by the Commission’s consultant (Open Evidence) in charge of the ongoing consultation process on the Evaluation of the Tobacco Control Acquis. The possibility of such a workshop was publicly stated in the consultation strategy outlined in the Call for Evidence. To our understanding, the main purpose of this workshop will be to focus on the results of the stakeholder’s consultation’s activities, Following this final consultation’s process, Open Evidence will issue its final validation report to feed the Commission’s evaluation report (initially due to be published Q3 2023).
Tobacco Europe is very much looking forward to taking part in this event.
Should you have any additional question, please contact Tobacco Europe directly at info@tobacco- europe.eu
(Brussels, 2 September 2019) Europe’s cigarette industry today enters a new chapter in its history with the launch of ‘Tobacco Europe’.
‘CECCM’ – a well-known brand on the Brussels scene for over 30 years is being replaced by a new identity, complemented by a new logo connecting our industry more closely with our agricultural heritage.
The new name and logo will be rolled out across all communications tools as from today demonstrating an exciting evolution for the organisation, which proudly represents Europe’s cigarette manufacturing sector.
The name Tobacco Europe ensures that the organisation is immediately identifiable to its members and to the outside world, as the body representing cigarette manufacturers’ interests at European level. The change to Tobacco Europe comes at a timely moment with the many changes taking place in the EU institutions.
Our new logo and website symbolise our close connection to the environment, and with it, our commitment to playing our part in sustainable development, across our entire value chain.
Tobacco Europe’s Director General, Alisdair Gray, commented “This is an exciting moment for Europe’s cigarette industry as we unveil our new identity that will be more immediately identifiable to the outside world. Our new identity demonstrates our commitment to openness, partnership and dialogue, in order to help tackle the socio-economic and environmental challenges of the future.”
Alisdair Gray
Director General
BRUSSELS: One year on from the UK’s implementation of plain packaging on cigarette cartons, the Confederation of European Community Cigarette Manufacturers (CECCM) sees no reliable evidence that shows the experiment is contributing to improving public health.
This is a similar story to other countries wherever the measure has been introduced, such as Australia and France.
Alisdair Gray, Secretary General of CECCM said: “It has not reduced smoking uptake by young people or encouraged quitting. Expert opinion continues to show that the main reasons for adolescents to smoke are sensation-seeking, peer and family-influence, not packaging”.
BRUSSELS: The Confederation of European Community Cigarette Manufacturers (CECCM) has today called on any European governments considering plain tobacco packaging to rethink their approach.
Speaking on the 1st anniversary of the French plain packaging law¹, Alisdair Gray, Secretary General of CECCM said: “Official sales of cigarettes in France have not shifted since the adoption of the law. Incredibly, France’s own Health Minister now publicly admits that plain packs do not stop smokers from smoking².
In France, where plain packaging has been in force since 1 January 2017, data published by the public authority OFDT³ indicates that tobacco products shipped to retailers have remained largely identical for the first nine months of 2017 (year on year).
Gray added: “The data clearly demonstrates that the introduction of plain packaging, even in combination with the EU Tobacco Products Directive, has failed to reduce sales of tobacco. In Australia, where the extreme measure has been in force for five years, the latest government data has shown a stall in the long-term downward trend in smoking, despite massive increases in excise.”
“The vast majority of EU countries are still unconvinced that plain packaging will work. Around a third of EU member states even raised concerns about the introduction of such pack changes when first proposed by the French government”.
It is high time for other governments to recognise that this form of heavy handed regulation simply does not work”.
ENDS
2 Assemblée Nationale Article 12
BRUSSELS: The Confederation of European Community Cigarette Manufacturers (CECCM), the largest tobacco industry Association in Europe, has today declared the plain packaging experiment for tobacco products a failure.
Speaking on the 5th anniversary of the Australian Tobacco Plain Packaging Act, Alisdair Gray, Secretary General of CECCM said: “There is no reliable or robust evidence that shows that plain packaging is contributing to improving public health. It has not reduced smoking prevalence or uptake by young people”.
“If anything, evidence shows that the main reasons for adolescents to smoke are sensation-seeking, peer and family-influence, not packaging¹.
In France, where plain packaging has been in force since 1 January 2017, data published by the public authority OFDT² indicates that tobacco products shipped to retailers have remained largely identical for the first nine months of 2017 (year on year).
Gray added: “The data clearly demonstrates that the introduction of plain packaging, even in combination with the Tobacco Products Directive, has failed to reduce sales of tobacco wherever it has been introduced”.
ENDS
¹ Attitudes of Europeans Towards Tobacco
Tracking and tracing of tobacco products helps fight the illegal trade by identifying the point of diversion from the legal supply chain. To be efficient a track & trace system should allow the tracing of products across borders and therefore any legislation should only prescribe recognized international standards and ensure that global operators are free to choose their preferred system and suppliers. This will reduce costs and guarantee free competition while offering a state of the art tool for control by law enforcement agencies.
Brussels, June 19 2023
Find the full document here: Tobacco Europe Letter on Procedural Shortfalls Public Consultation
