Brussels, 2 April 2026 – The evaluation of the EU’s tobacco rules celebrates that the Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) is successfully reducing smoking despite the EU being on track to miss its 2040 smoke-free goal by 70 years.

The report also opens the door to tighter regulation and outright bans on vapes, heated tobacco, and nicotine pouches, including flavours and disposables, despite the proven success of Sweden, the Czech Republic, and Greece in slashing smoking rates through these accessible alternatives.

Alberto Gómez Hernández, manažer pro politiku ve Světové alianci vaperů, k tomu uvedl: 

“The report celebrates a pathetic smoking drop that guarantees missing the 2040 smoke-free target by decades. At the same time, it attacks the very alternatives that made Sweden smoke-free, Czechia the EU’s fastest decliner, and Greece a turnaround story.”

The report ignores established scientific evidence on the lower-risk profile and smoking cessation effectiveness of alternative nicotine products. It also presents alternatives as gateways into smoking for youth, despite recognising that youth smoking has sharply decreased.

“This report is blatantly biased, burying scientific evidence on less harmful alternatives that actually work. A TPD update based on this report will prevent millions of smokers from switching to less harmful options and fuel explosive growth in illegal black markets,” said Gómez Hernández.

The World Vapers’ Alliance calls on the European Commission to refocus on evidence-based policies that protect consumer choice and accelerate smoking declines. Policymakers must learn from Sweden, Czechia, and Greece, where accessible alternatives have delivered real results.