Brussels – The future of European tobacco regulations remains undecided, but the first round of discussions has ended amid criticism. The meeting concluded on Friday night (14 August) with the European Union’s public consultation on the review of the rules governing tobacco products, advertising, and sponsorship. This step will help shape the legislative proposal expected by the end of 2026. Brussels wants to update a regulatory framework that has worked well but must now come to terms with a “profoundly changed market.”
The consultation follows the call for evidence, which is based on the Commission’s assessment of the European tobacco control framework, according to which EU regulations have helped to significantly reduce “the number of smokers and smoking-related deaths, particularly among young people.” The new challenge, however, comes from “e-cigarettes, heated tobacco products and nicotine pouches, which are becoming increasingly prevalent amongst the younger generation.” According to the European Commission, these products “can be addictive and pose risks that have yet to be fully assessed, whilst eye-catching designs, flavours, and online promotional campaigns make it easier to reach young people.”
Hence, according to Brussels, there is a need to amend the two main European directives on tobacco to address shortcomings that have emerged in recent years. The stated aim remains ambitious: to achieve a “tobacco-free generation” by 2040 by strengthening prevention, protecting young people, tightening rules on new products, and controlling their promotion.
“Our rules must keep pace with today’s market”, saidEuropean Commissioner for Health Olivér Várhelyi in a social media post. According to the Commissioner, the review no longer concerns only traditional cigarettes, but also “protecting young people from new forms of addiction,” with clearer rules on nicotine products and a greater focus on public health.
But it is precisely the consultation process that has come under fire from some stakeholders who participated in the discussions. Riccardo Polosa, Professor of Internal Medicine at the University of Catania, explains to Eunews that his main concern relates “not only to the future content of the European framework on tobacco, but also to the quality and transparency of the consultation process.” According to Polosa, the EU Commission’s questionnaire was “unnecessarily complex” and, in several places, appeared to steer participants towards pre-defined categories and policy options. He argues that the risk is of creating “the appearance of a consultation” without allowing stakeholders to adequately explain the scientific differences, proportionality and risk profiles of the various products.
In the professor’s view, the key focus of future legislation should be a clear distinction between combustible cigarettes and non-combustible nicotine products. “The public health priority must remain the reduction of smoking-related diseases and deaths,” Polosa said, pointing out that “most tobacco-related harm stems from combustion.” Risk communication is also a cause for concern, as many smokers mistakenly believe that vaping and other non-combustible products are as harmful as, or more harmful than, cigarettes. Future regulation, Polosa argues, should therefore provide adults with accurate information on relative risk, whilst at the same time protecting young people and non-smokers from accessing and using these new products.
On the opposite side, Contre-Feu, a European civil society network advocating for stricter tobacco control measures, has spoken out. The organisation is calling for the revision to make a concrete contribution towards the goal of a “tobacco-free generation by 2040”, through stricter restrictions on new nicotine-based products, greater scope for Member States to take action, and a total ban on online advertising, including influencer marketing. This stance reflects concerns about promotional strategies for new products targeting young people, an issue on which Contre-Feu has recently focused several campaigns.
Criticism is also coming from the agricultural sector, with UNITAB Europe calling on the European Commission to hold specific discussions with tobacco producers. The president, Gennarino Masiello, acknowledges that the consultation represents “an important channel” for gathering stakeholders’ views, but complains that the questionnaire has not adequately captured “the realities, challenges and sensitivities of the agricultural sector.”
On the public policy front, Antonios Nestoras, founder and director of the European Policy Information Centre (EPIC), accuses Brussels of risking the treatment of products with different risk profiles in the same way. “When evidence is used selectively,” and the links between taxation and the illicit market are ignored, “health policy risks giving way to ideology,” Nestoras warns. He adds that poorly calibrated policies could have counterproductive effects: maintaining cigarette consumption, fuelling illicit markets, strengthening criminal networks and reducing public revenue. The key issue, he concludes, will be whether the Commission “takes on board” the findings from the call for evidence and the consultation, and whether the future proposal will reflect the evidence gathered.
The debate is now entering its decisive phase: Brussels will have to turn the contributions received into new European tobacco legislation, striking a balance between protecting public health, safeguarding young people and regulating a market that has changed in the meantime.
English version by the Translation Service of Withub
