What we do
Tobacco Europe AISBL represents the major European–based tobacco and nicotine products manufacturers which includes British American Tobacco (BAT), Imperial Brands (IMB), and Japan Tobacco International (JTI).
Our mission is to support responsible EU policymaking, in advancing balanced and science-based regulation for tobacco and nicotine products. Tobacco Europe and its members are legitimate, transparent and accountable stakeholders in European regulatory debates.
Role and Responsibilities
Our mandate
Major Manufacturers Representation
Tobacco Europe is the European umbrella organisation representing the three largest tobacco and nicotine products manufacturers, namely British American Tobacco, Imperial Brands and Japan Tobacco International.
Compliance and Ethics
Our association complies with all applicable laws and regulations and adheres to the EU interest representatives’ code of conduct, as well as to those of its Members, and is in the EU Transparency Register (1496873833-97).
Support for Reasonable Legislation
Tobacco Europe supports tobacco and nicotine product legislation which is reasonable, proportionate, evidence based, and that complies with both the EU Better Regulation principles and the smooth functioning of EU internal market.
Our mission
The new landscape of the nicotine market
Over the last decade, the nicotine market has dramatically changed. Historically, adult consumers enjoyed the social, physiological and ritual effects of nicotine through smoking cigarettes. Driven by adult consumers’ preferences, e-vapour products, heated tobacco products and tobacco-free nicotine pouches have now become for a growing share of consumers the preferred method of consuming nicotine. This trend is expected to continue in the coming years. Backed by years of investments in R&D, TE companies have developed a new range of alternative products to cigarettes, all with a potentially reduced-risk profile compared to smoking.
Cigarettes are combusted through the burning of tobacco to provide nicotine. The burning of tobacco generates many toxic and carcinogenic compounds, which are inhaled during smoking and increase the risk of smoking-related developing disease, not nicotine.By contrast, new products do not require combustion - and are smokeless - to provide nicotine.
A growing body of scientific evidence, recognized by numerous Health authorities, supports the view that such products have the potential to reduce the risks associated with smoking’. Thus, they represent a unique opportunity to reduce the harm related to the consumption of nicotine and contribute to the Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan objectives.
As these alternative products are not totally risk-free and nicotine is addictive, a key priority must be that minors have no access to these products just as they are prohibited from accessing cigarettes; and public authorities should rightly focus on safeguards to avoid this. This is also why those products should be regulated in order to ensure their quality and access only to adult consumers.
Overall, a balanced regulatory framework based on a harm reduction principle will encourage the development and availability of these potentially reduced risk alternative products and actively support adult smokers who may be considering changing their consumption patterns. This will thus allow the EU to draw the full potential benefit of these innovative solutions.
Our goals
What we stand for
Tobacco Europe members stand committed to reducing the health impact of smoking in Europe.
Tobacco Europe companies, believing that only innovation can offer the best alternatives to smoking, continue to invest heavily in R&D, to be at the forefront of the development of such new products, to establish scientifically and in full transparency the risk profile of our potentially reduced risk products, to inform adult consumers and to provide them with the opportunity to choose tobacco and/or nicotine products which offer potentially reduced risk compared to continued smoking.
01
Protecting Minors from Tobacco Access
02
Adult Choice
and Compliance
and Compliance
03
Balanced
Legislation
Legislation
Tobacco Europe companies firmly believe that children and minors should not smoke and should not be able to obtain tobacco products. As such, they apply to new nicotine products the same principles that exist for combustibles: Tobacco Europe companies do not market or sell their products to minors, they actively work to support retailers to enforce these principles and support regulatory measures that effectively block minors’ ability to obtain cigarettes and nicotine products.
Tobacco Europe companies, with regard to combustible products, value and believe in freedom of choice for informed adults. They are clear and transparent about smoking’s health effects and ensure that all adult consumers of combustible tobacco products understand these risks.
Tobacco Europe companies comply with all laws and regulations governing our products and industry.
The potential impact of any proposed or new legislation on the further development of the dangerous illicit trade of tobacco products should be taken into consideration. Illicit products rarely comply with regulations, especially regarding youth access. They do not contribute to Member States’ tax revenues and undermine the European Union health policy.
Where new legislation is being developed, regulators should carefully weigh its impact on adults’ ability to transition to potentially reduced risk products and craft a balanced regulatory framework. Ill-conceived legislation has the potential to derail adult consumers’ transition to alternative nicotine products, inadvertently harm businesses and further encourage illicit trade in tobacco and nicotine products.
Tobacco Europe companies encourage a regulatory approach that puts consumer safety and product quality first, while encouraging the innovation, marketing and distribution freedoms that would allow the growth of potentially Reduced Risks Products to maximize their potential benefit to public health.
Tobacco Europe companies comply with all laws and regulations governing our products and industry.
The potential impact of any proposed or new legislation on the further development of the dangerous illicit trade of tobacco products should be taken into consideration. Illicit products rarely comply with regulations, especially regarding youth access. They do not contribute to Member States’ tax revenues and undermine the European Union health policy.
Where new legislation is being developed, regulators should carefully weigh its impact on adults’ ability to transition to potentially reduced risk products and craft a balanced regulatory framework. Ill-conceived legislation has the potential to derail adult consumers’ transition to alternative nicotine products, inadvertently harm businesses and further encourage illicit trade in tobacco and nicotine products.
Tobacco Europe companies encourage a regulatory approach that puts consumer safety and product quality first, while encouraging the innovation, marketing and distribution freedoms that would allow the growth of potentially Reduced Risks Products to maximize their potential benefit to public health.
