Tobacco: 'Some EU member states are using their political influence to defend the interests of the industry'
Across Europe, these manufacturers are marketing these products aggressively to young (and even very young) people, using rhetoric similar to public health campaigns. They present these new products as tools to help people quit smoking, even though this market continues to be their main source of revenue.
Their objective: In addition to revamping their image and customer base, they want to get ahead of European legislators to normalize the marketing of these highly addictive new products before they can be regulated or simply banned. Several of these products are currently on sale despite there being no legal framework for them.
Blameworthy delay
This is the case with nicotine pouches, which are one of the tobacco industry's new flagship products. In 2024, Philip Morris International (PMI) sold almost 600 million boxes of ZYN in the United States and is looking to expand into the European market, as is British American Tobacco with its Velo brand.
The European Union is dangerously behind on this issue. Directives regulating the taxation and sale of tobacco products and related products (which could limit the marketing of these new products) are several years behind schedule due to the influence of the tobacco industry, which spends nearly €20 million each year lobbying in Brussels to protect its profits.
This is why several member states have decided to regulate these products themselves. Following Belgium's ban, France has indicated that it wants to impose a broader ban on all oral nicotine products (excluding e-cigarettes and nicotine substitutes), while Spain wants to limit nicotine content to the bare minimum.
These states are not only subject to internal media pressure led by the industry, which challenges these regulations through communication campaigns in the press and on social media, dissemination of false studies, etc.). But other EU member states are also using their political influence to support the industry in marketing these new products.
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Tobacco: 'Some EU member states are using their political influence to defend the interests of the industry'
Always on the lookout for new consumers, tobacco and nicotine manufacturers are diversifying their products to rebuild their customer base: electronic cigarettes, heated tobacco, nicotine pouches, etc. Across Europe, these manufacturers are marketing these products aggressively to young (and even very young) people, using rhetoric similar to public health campaigns. They present these new products as tools to help people quit smoking, even though this market continues to be their main source of revenue. Their objective: In addition to revamping their image and customer base, they want to get ahead of European legislators to normalize the marketing of these highly addictive new products before they can be regulated or simply banned. Several of these products are currently on sale despite there being no legal framework for them. Blameworthy delay This is the case with nicotine pouches, which are one of the tobacco industry's new flagship products. In 2024, Philip Morris International (PMI) sold almost 600 million boxes of ZYN in the United States and is looking to expand into the European market, as is British American Tobacco with its Velo brand. The European Union is dangerously behind on this issue. Directives regulating the taxation and sale of tobacco products and related products (which could limit the marketing of these new products) are several years behind schedule due to the influence of the tobacco industry, which spends nearly €20 million each year lobbying in Brussels to protect its profits. This is why several member states have decided to regulate these products themselves. Following Belgium's ban, France has indicated that it wants to impose a broader ban on all oral nicotine products (excluding e-cigarettes and nicotine substitutes), while Spain wants to limit nicotine content to the bare minimum. These states are not only subject to internal media pressure led by the industry, which challenges these regulations through communication campaigns in the press and on social media, dissemination of false studies, etc.). But other EU member states are also using their political influence to support the industry in marketing these new products.
