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.
