EU

This article is based on reporting originally published by the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet. A link to the full story is provided below. Several European countries are tightening regulations on nicotine pouches, but France is going the furthest. From April 1, nicotine pouches will be classified under some of the country’s strictest laws, making possession, use, […]

EU tobacco policy is in free fall.  The Tobacco Tax Directive (TTD) now risks not only collapsing, but being hijacked in a political game that lacks any connection to reality.  At the same time, the third revision of the Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) is underway. In principle, this is reasonable. The current directive dates back to 2014—a time when nicotine pouches did not even exist.  Fourteen EU countries have already regulated nicotine pouches. Only a handful have banned them. A total ban under TPD3 is therefore highly unlikely. Such a decision would require a qualified majority—and the Nordic countries will never support a ban on a product that demonstrably replaces cigarettes.  There are signs that several countries which currently ban nicotine pouches may be forced to rethink their position. The EU has previously called for more pragmatic regulatory frameworks. Yet just one more country is still missing to secure a blocking minority against a ban.  This is where the game hardens.  More and more governments are now signalling that the TTD is being held hostage until the Commission accepts a minimum tax level of €25 on nicotine pouches. A political horse‑trading exercise. This also stands in direct conflict with the major tobacco companies’ desire to get […]

Pouch Patrol has conducted a full review of all EU Member States’ positions in the negotiations on the new Tobacco Tax Directive (TTD). The conclusion is clear: the EU is facing one of its most deeply divided negotiation landscapes in years. The differences in proposed tax levels for nicotine pouches are so extreme that a […]

Another compromise proposal on the EU’s new Tobacco Tax Directive (TTD) has now been circulated from Brussels. But behind the word “compromise” lies, in practice, the same fundamental failure as before. What we are seeing is unchanged, excessively high tax levels on risk-reduced nicotine products—now merely disguised by slightly softer transition periods. Markus Lindblad, Head […]

The European Commission has set its sights on nicotine pouches. In a new proposal on EU‑wide tobacco taxation, Brussels wants to force Sweden to raise the tax on nicotine pouches by around 500 percent – despite the products being tobacco‑free and despite Sweden having the lowest smoking rate in the EU.  The EU’s new Tobacco Taxation Directive is not a technical adjustment. It is a frontal attack on smoke‑free nicotine products – and on Sweden’s successful harm‑reduction model.  For the first time, nicotine pouches are singled out as a product category […]

Pouch Patrol today announces the first-ever Ostrich Award, a satirical prize for policymakers who ignore clear evidence on tobacco harm reduction. This year’s recipient: EU Health Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi, who recently declared:  “The WHO has observed that nicotine-containing products, in particular e-cigarettes and nicotine sachets, generate substances known to cause cancer and expose users to […]

According to information received by Pouch Patrol, the new proposal from Denmark is not a compromise, but rather a declaration of war. The Danish Presidency is pursuing the Commission’s agenda, or possibly its own, rather than seeking to unite Europe. A breakdown is to be expected at Thursday’s decision-making meeting. 1. The ‘revised’ proposal does […]

EU Member States have agreed not to push for bans on safer nicotine products at the WHO’s tobacco control summit, COP11. This decision comes after a large group of countries refused to accept the Commission’s original proposal, which included support for “strong regulation of ENDS/ENNDS and nicotine pouches, which could include a ban.”   “Ban” […]

Around the world, countries that regulate safer nicotine alternatives are seeing smoking rates fall. From Sweden’s snus legacy to the UK’s vaping-first strategy, the evidence is clear: people quit smoking when governments support harm reduction. But while many countries are refining their policies based on new evidence that alternatives work, the EU is preparing to […]

At the finance ministers’ meeting in Luxembourg, Sweden’s Finance Minister Elisabeth Svantesson made a strong stand against the EU’s proposal for a drastic tax increase on nicotine pouches. Sweden remains firm on its principle: taxation should be based on the harm of the product – not political budget needs. The European Commission has put forward […]