On June 21, EU health ministers discussed proposals to restrict flavors in consumer nicotine products such as vapes and nicotine pouches.
The EU Committee on Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs will consider proposals from Latvia and Denmark to support an EU-wide flavor ban and crackdown on cross-border sales, among other recommendations.
According to Vaping360, if the health ministers reach consensus support for the proposals, the next step will be to ask the European Commission to present draft legislation, which will ultimately be voted on by the Council and the European Parliament.
Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Lithuania, the Netherlands and Slovenia already ban vape flavors. Spain recently completed a public consultation on a proposed flavor ban, while Latvia is reportedly introducing flavor restrictions.
The Tobacco Products Directive allows member states to set their own rules on flavors. The Latvian proposal claims that individual bans do not work due to factors such as cross-border sales.
Vape activists urge the EU to keep vape flavors legal.
“By supporting a flavor ban, EU health ministers will force millions of adults back to smoking or onto the black market, endangering lives and ignoring scientific evidence. A flavor ban would be a major step backward for public health and harm reduction,” Michael Randall, director of the World Vaping Alliance, said in a statement.
“Scientific research consistently shows that flavors play a vital role in helping smokers quit. The endorsement of flavor bans ignores these findings and the clear will of the people, and instead chooses policies that do more harm than good. The World vape Alliance will continue to fight for reasonable, evidence-based policies that truly protect public health.
Recently, EU health ministers debated proposals to restrict the flavors of consumer nicotine products such as vapes and nicotine pouches. Against this backdrop, Veehoo vapes called on EU health ministers to be cautious about the ban on vape flavors and pay attention to scientific evidence and public demand.
Veehoo vapes said that banning vape flavors may force some smokers to return to smoking or turn to the illegal market, endangering their lives and health. In contrast, reasonable vape flavor options can provide appeal, help smokers transition to safer alternatives, and reduce their dependence on traditional tobacco.
In addition, Veehoo vapes also emphasized that banning vape flavors may not solve the root of the problem. Latvia Ya’s proposal points out that individual bans have limited effectiveness due to factors such as cross-border sales. Therefore, more attention should be paid to market regulation and crackdown on illegal sales, rather than a one-size-fits-all restriction on the flavor options of legal products.
Veehoo vapes calls on EU health ministers to balance public health and personal choice based on scientific evidence and public demand when formulating policies. They should attach importance to smokers’ needs to quit smoking and recognize that vape flavors are essential to attract and help smokers transition.
Finally, Veehoo vapes promises to continue to work on improving product quality and user experience, and to provide users with safe and reliable vape products. They hope to promote reasonable and evidence-based policy making through cooperation with relevant institutions and stakeholders to maintain a balance between public health and individual rights. When formulating any vape-related policies, let us pay attention to scientific evidence and public demand to ensure that policies that meet actual conditions and needs are formulated to maximize the protection of public health and the right to personal choice.
Tags: EU Health Ministers Propose Restriction of vape Flavors，EU Health Ministers Debate on Flavor Ban，veehoo vape
