Tag: Belgium

  • Belgium Disposable Ban Won’t Reduce Use: Vape Group

    Belgium Disposable Ban Won’t Reduce Use: Vape Group

    Credit: Carius Badstuber

    A ban on disposable vapes will not reduce consumption, according to a Dutch e-cigarette association press release. The announced sales ban on disposable vapes in Belgium, just like the flavor ban in the Netherlands, will not help young people use fewer e-cigarettes, said Emil ‘t Hart, chairman of the Dutch Industry Association of Electronic Cigarette Sellers (Esigbond).

    With the ban beginning January 1 next year, Belgium wants to ensure that young people, in particular, use fewer products containing the harmful and addictive substance nicotine. “I wonder how enforceable this is. Vapes are also bought in Belgium through all kinds of channels, such as Chinese online stores or Snapchat. But you can’t stop the online trade with a ban,” Hart claimed.

    The chairman said a few days before the Dutch ban came into force in January that people in the Netherlands are circumventing the flavor ban by buying flavored vapes in Belgium and elsewhere. Young people, Hart said, are not as affected by the ban because they too often buy disposable vapes online in China. “The best thing would be to close the gates to China,” he said.

    Belgian Minister of Health Frank Vandenbroucke announced the sales ban this week. According to him, Belgium will become the first country in Europe to ban the sale of disposable vapes.

  • Belgium to Ban Sale of Disposable Vape Devices

    Belgium to Ban Sale of Disposable Vape Devices

    Photo: Bennphoto

    Belgium will ban the sale of disposable e-cigarettes effective Jan. 1, 2025, making it the first EU country to do so, reports The Brussels Times, citing Federal Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke. The country has received approval from the European Commission for the ban.

    “The disposable e-cigarette causes a lot of damage to society and the environment,” said Vandenbroucke. “This harmful product mainly targets our young people. I am therefore pleased that we can remove this from the market.”

    Vandenbroucke said that marketing for vapes is “very savvy” and “youth-oriented” despite sales of vapes to minors being banned in Belgium. Youth use is widespread, and in 2023, about three in four points of sale sold disposables to minors, according to an inspection.

    “Belgium is playing a pioneering role in Europe to break the power of the tobacco lobby,” Vandenbroucke said upon receiving approval for the ban from the European Commission. “This is another milestone in our fight against tobacco.”

    “We strive for a smoke-free generation and want people, especially young people, to be better protected and to come into less contact with tobacco or alternative smoking methods,” Vandenbroucke said. “With this measure, we ensure that we remove an extremely harmful product from the market, which is also cheap and therefore attractive to young people.”

    Nondisposable e-cigarettes will still be allowed as many use them to quit smoking combustible cigarettes. “Still, we have been able to agree that they can no longer be offered with lights and other things to make them attractive,” Vandenbroucke said. “It should not be a product to start smoking but to stop smoking.”

  • January 1 Begins Start of Belgium E-Cigarette Tax

    January 1 Begins Start of Belgium E-Cigarette Tax

    Credit: Master Sergeant

    Beginning January 1, 2024, Belgium will introduce a new tax on e-liquids used in electronic cigarettes. The tax will be set at 15 cents per milliliter.

    The move has received criticism from both users and retailers who fear that it will lead to increased costs and a potential shift back to traditional tobacco cigarettes.

    The spokesperson for the federal Finance Minister defended the tax, stating that it aligns with Germany’s tax rate, which is also set to increase in the coming years, according to media reports.

    They further clarified that the goal is not to encourage people to return to smoking combustible cigarettes but to recognize that e-cigarettes are also tobacco products and should be used as a temporary measure to quit smoking.

  • Holland Flavor Ban Begins, Belgium to Tighten Rules

    Holland Flavor Ban Begins, Belgium to Tighten Rules

    Image: Tobacco Reporter archive

    The Netherlands banned flavored e-cigarettes effective Jan. 1, reports The Brussels Times. Companies have until Oct. 1 to remove the flavored products from shelves; retailers can sell their current stock until that date, but new flavors may not be marketed.

    Belgium plans to tighten vaping regulation as well, according to Federal Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke.

    “E-cigarettes contain some 1,800 different products of which we are far from knowing all the health consequences,” he said. “Maybe some people will switch from regular cigarettes to e-cigarettes, but maybe by using e-cigarettes, people will just end up smoking regular cigarettes.”

    A ban on flavors is not currently planned in Belgium, but a royal decree will soon be published imposing more restrictions on the sale of flavored e-cigarettes. “No more trendy names will be allowed to be given to those flavors, and lights will no longer be allowed on e-cigarettes either,” said Vandenbroucke.

    There will be a six-month transition period for the industry to adapt to the new rules and another six-month period to sell current stock.

  • Health Institute Says Belgium’s Vaping Law ‘Too Vague’

    Health Institute Says Belgium’s Vaping Law ‘Too Vague’

    Credit: Carius Badstuber

    The Belgian law regulating the use of e-cigarettes and vaping products is still too vague, the Sciensano Public Health Institute said Thursday. The institute claims the law imposes restrictions only on the presence of nicotines in e-liquids. Other substances are not explicitly banned and therefore we still often find them.

    “These are nicotine impurities, volatile organic compounds and diacetyl and acetyl propionyl flavour enhancers. The latter are safe in food but can be harmful when inhaled over long periods of time,” said Sophia Barhdadi, a researcher at Sciensano, based on sample analyses.

    In total, the institute analysed 246 e-liquids dating from before (2013-2016) and after (2017-2018) the revised European Tobacco Product Directive (TPD) and its implementation in the Royal Decree (RD) of 28 October 2016, according to an article in The Brussels Times.

    The institute also claims that there were “more impurities in e-liquids sold online. The e-liquids that we bought in official vape shops were of better quality,” Barhdadi said.

    Sciensano pointed out, however, that the 2016 Royal Decree has improved the quality of e-liquids, including more correct nicotine information on labels, the absence of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) (up from 10 percent in 2016) and a reduction in caffeine and flavor enhancers.

  • Juul Labs to Exit South Korea, 5 EU Markets

    Juul Labs to Exit South Korea, 5 EU Markets

    Juul Labs said today it would end operations in South Korea, a year after it entered the market. The company states the cause was its inability to gain market share amid government health warnings.

    In a statement, Juul Labs stated that since the beginning of the year it was working through a restructuring process aimed a re-establishing a viable business in South Korea by significantly reducing costs and making changes to its products.

    “However, these innovations will not be available as anticipated,” the statement said. “As a result, we intend to cease our operations in South Korea.”

    In October last year, South Korea’s health ministry advised people to stop vaping because of growing health concerns, especially after a case of pneumonia was reported in a 30-year-old e-cigarette user that month, according to Reuters news article.

    The announcement prompted convenience store chains and duty free shops to suspend the sale of flavored liquid e-cigarettes, including those made by Juul Labs.

    In December, South Korean health authorities said they had found vitamin E acetate, which may be linked to lung illnesses, in some liquid e-cigarette products made by Juul Labs, but the company denied using the material, according to Reuters.

    Juul Labs launched a product portfolio that was specifically developed for the Korean market in May 2019, but “our performance has not met expectations in terms of meeting the needs of our Korean adult smokers to successfully transition from combustible cigarettes,” according to the statement. “We have learned through this process and are focused on innovating our product portfolio.”

    Juul Labs is also reportedly ready to withdraw from a handful of EU markets as well, claiming the regulatory environment has become overly hostile to the device.

    According to BuzzFeed News, Juul will soon remove its products from shelves in Austria, Belgium, Portugal, France, and Spain.

    The news outlet reports the European Union’s strict requirement that e-cigs contain no more than 20 milligrams of nicotine makes it difficult for Juul to do business there.

    Austria, Belgium, and Portugal are very small markets for Juul, but the leading e-cig manufacturer generates significant sales from France and Spain. It will exit France by the end of the year, but withdraw from the other countries in July, paring its presence in global markets to a narrow selection that includes Germany, Italy, Russia, and the U.K.