BRUSSELS/STOCKHOLM, 20 February 2026 – The World Vapers’ Alliance (WVA) has joined a pan-European coalition of consumer groups in an open letter calling on the Swedish government to veto the latest draft of the EU Tobacco Excise Directive (TED) recast. As the Working Party on Tax Questions prepares to meet on 25 February 2026, the proposal has devolved into a punitive assault on smokers trying to quit.

The latest leaked proposal ignores public health data and doubles down on a hostile fiscal agenda. The proposal labels non-combustible products an “intrinsic public health risk” and promotes the debunked “gateway” narrative, claiming they lead to conventional smoking. Most alarmingly, the Presidency has hiked the proposed minimum tax on e-liquids from €0.20 to €0.30 per ml—a 50% increase over the original plan.

Michael Landl, Director of the WVA, stated:
“This is a fiscal ambush on millions of ex-smokers. By hiking the proposed minimum tax on e-liquids by a further 50% the EU is choosing to protect tax revenue over smoking cessation. This isn’t a health strategy; it’s a desperate attempt to treat vapers like a government ATM.”

The draft also explicitly clears the way for Member States to prohibit specific product categories, such as flavours, under the guise of national competence. These extreme tax hikes and prohibitions will not stop use but will instead fuel black markets and empower criminal gangs. The consumer organisations urge Sweden and other Member States to follow the evidence and veto a directive that treats life-saving alternatives as a threat rather than a solution.