Belgium’s federal government is preparing a sweeping ban on all vape flavours except tobacco, a move Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke says is necessary to stem rising youth vaping.
But the announcement lands as Vandenbroucke and his party face mounting questions about stalled policymaking elsewhere – including their inability, after a full year, to pass a federal budget. The City of Brussels, also governed by his party, is in the same position.
Rising youth use prompts shift at the Health Council
The proposed flavour ban follows fresh advice from the Superior Health Council, which now supports tighter restrictions after years of hesitation.
The Council argues that the proliferation of sweet or fruity flavours risks turning vaping into a new gateway to nicotine addiction at a time when use among school-age children has risen sharply. It says recent surveys indicate that experimentation among pupils is widespread, and that regular use has increased significantly over recent years.
Vandenbroucke pushes EU-wide action
According to reporting by POLITICO, Vandenbroucke told the POLITICO Health Care Summit that the vape industry is deliberately targeting minors and called it a “criminal industry.” He said flavourings are designed to “attract children and hide the harm” of the devices and urged the EU to adopt the same approach as the Netherlands, where only tobacco-flavoured vapes are permitted.
The Netherlands introduced its flavour restriction in 2024. Belgian officials often cite the Dutch experience as evidence that a tobacco-only market can reduce use, though the underlying data has not been published in detail.
Enforcement questions and industry pushback
Supporters of Belgium’s ban argue that limiting flavours is a direct way to curb youth uptake. But they also acknowledge enforcement will be challenging. In the Netherlands, illegal flavoured vapes continue to circulate despite the ban, putting pressure on regulators to monitor imports, online sales and retailers.
Retailers in Belgium warn the government is overreaching.
Perstablo, representing press, tobacco and gaming shops, called the plan “an absurd measure with disastrous consequences,” predicting it would drive consumers to illegal sellers and undermine legitimate businesses. The group says it is exploring legal action and wants clarity on how the government reached its decision.
Political strain overshadows health ambitions
The timing of the measure has drawn political scrutiny. Vandenbroucke’s party is already under fire for failing to pass a federal budget after twelve months in office – a deadlock mirrored in the Brussels city government, which has also struggled to approve its budget. Critics say the minister is pushing forward high-profile health regulations even as core governance tasks stall.
The flavour ban would add to a string of interventions rolled out under Vandenbroucke, including bans on disposable vapes and new restrictions on smoking in areas frequented by young people. He also appeared to support EU proposals for taxes on highly processed foods, saying price signals could help improve public health.
The government has not set a launch date for the flavour ban. Vandenbroucke says only that he wants it implemented “as soon as possible,” though recent history suggests delivering it may require solving political deadlock his own party has yet to overcome.
When bans backfire
An investigation earlier this year highlights how previous restrictions have struggled to achieve their intended effect. In April, a VRT Pano report found that Belgium’s ban on disposable vapes had effectively pushed the trade underground, with unregulated devices more likely to contain THC liquids or even synthetic “spice,” a far more potent cannabis imitation.
Despite the ban, disposable vapes continued circulating widely in secondary schools. Vandenbroucke again used strong language to condemn the trade, while critics said the government’s messaging blurred the line between illegal products and regulated smoking-cessation tools.
The findings raised further questions about enforcement capacity, and whether new measures such as flavour bans risk repeating the same pattern.
