Three years after the Netherlands banned online tobacco and vape sales, young adults are still buying through social media, while regulators struggle to identify sellers behind thousands of illegal listings.
Almost half of the vaping products consumed across the European Union may be bought outside the regular market, with irregular sales worth an estimated €6.6 billion, according to a major analysis of the sector.
The study by Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated…
The Dutch government has rejected plans for a national ban on disposable vapes, warning that such a move would be legally uncertain and should instead be dealt with at EU level.
The decision means the Netherlands will not push ahead with new…
Sweden has hit out at France’s sweeping ban on nicotine pouches, after it emerged Swedes could face criminal penalties for carrying a smoke-free product that is legal at home while cigarettes remain on sale.
The row has opened a fresh divide in…
Belgium will ban flavoured vapes from 1 September 2028, in a move ministers say is aimed at reducing youth uptake.
The decision, approved by the federal government, means only tobacco or neutral flavours will be permitted. Popular options such as bubblegum, cola…
Spain’s two main political parties have reached a rare agreement to restrict where vapes and nicotine pouches can be sold, in a move aimed at tightening control over access and distribution.
The Popular Party (PP) and Socialist Party (PSOE) backed a non-binding…
40% of vapers reduced use after the ban, including 22% who quit entirely
6% started smoking cigarettes and linked this to the policy
10.8% reported using alternative products more, “predominantly cigarettes”
Most quitters (73%) did not switch to another product
A major…
Almost nine in ten people who vape in the Netherlands are using illegal products or buying through illegal channels, according to new research - after a nationwide ban on flavoured vapes.
The study, Donkere wolken by research agency Bureau Beke for the…
A new proposal in the European Parliament could see vapes taxed across the EU to help fund future cancer programmes.
According to a report by Romanian MEP Vlad Voiculescu, the bloc should raise €2 billion through new levies on nicotine products and…