WVA Open letter: 100,000 Europeans Reject EU’s Attack on Vaping & Pouches

BRUSSELS, 4.3.2025 – The World Vapers’ Alliance (WVA) today released an Åbent brev til Europa-Kommissionen og EU-medlemsstaterne, der kraftigt modsætter sig de seneste forslag om strengere regler for skadesreducerende tobaksprodukter. Disse forslag, anført af Hollandog støttet af et mindretal af medlemsstater, truer med at underminere års fremskridt med at hjælpe rygere med at holde op gennem sikrere alternativer som vaping og nikotinposer.

Det åbne brev, bakket op af over 100.000 underskrifter fra bekymrede borgere over hele Europa, kritiserer politikere for at ignorere videnskabelige beviser og den offentlige mening til fordel for vildledende, forbudsorienterede tilgange.

Michael Landl, direktør for World Vapers' Alliance, udtalte:

“It’s outrageous that politicians are willing to sacrifice the health of millions of smokers on the altar of ideology. These proposals fly in the face of all credible evidence on tobacco harm reduction. Flavour bans and higher taxation won’t reduce smoking rates – they’ll drive people back to cigarettes or black markets. It’s a public health disaster waiting to happen.”

Landl added, “The fact that over 100,000 Europeans have signed our petition against these measures should be a wake-up call to policymakers. Citizens want access to safer and better alternatives, not more restrictions. It’s time for the EU to listen to its people and embrace harm reduction, not fight it. We won’t stand by while bureaucrats and misguided politicians threaten the lives of millions of smokers and ex-smokers.”

The WVA calls for a balanced approach that prioritises harm reduction, consumers, and evidence-based policymaking over prohibitionist measures.