Netherlands - Clearing the Air

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Spain moves to tighten sales channels for vapes and nicotine pouches

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…

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Dutch flavour ban pushed some vapers into smoking, study suggests

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…

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9/10 Dutch vapers are using illegal products, new research shows

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…

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EU tax plan could target vapes to fund cancer strategy

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…

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Belgium pushes EU for tougher vape rules as minister warns of “epidemic”

Belgium’s health minister has urged the European Union to tighten rules on vapes, warning that use is becoming an “epidemic” and calling for a bloc-wide crackdown. Speaking during a visit by Michael McGrath to Sciensano, Belgium’s public health institute in Brussels, Frank…

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Nearly half of Europe’s vape market comes from irregular sources, study finds

A new study has found that almost half of the vapes sold across Europe come from irregular sources, highlighting the scale of the illicit and grey market for the products. Researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS say around 48…

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Harm reduction critics reject Sweden’s success in reducing smoking

A tightly controlled webinar that excluded many consumer voices has mounted a sharp attack on Sweden’s world-leading record on smoking reduction - dismissing the role of safer nicotine products and questioning the science behind harm reduction. The closed-door forum, Sweden: Setting it…

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Belgium seizes 140,000 illegal disposable vapes after sales ban

Belgium has seized more than 140,000 disposable vapes since the start of 2025, following the introduction of a nationwide ban on their sale that took effect on January 1. Belgium’s Federal Public Health Service said it has seized 140,019 disposable vapes so…

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Belgium plans sweeping vape flavour ban amid policy gridlock

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…

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