Brussels, 12 May 2026 – The latest EU Council draft compromise text on the Tobacco Excise Directive (TED), reported by Politico and seen by World Vapers’ Alliance, shows that taxation of nicotine products is not being guided by science or public health. Instead, the Cypriot Presidency appears to be moving tax rates up and down across product categories simply to find a deal that all member states can accept.

This is the latest in a series of changes since the Commission first published its proposal, and no technical justification has ever been given for the repeated shifts in rates. Compared with the previous draft, the latest text lowers proposed rates for cigars and cigarillos, heated tobacco, and nicotine pouches, while increasing the final target rate for e-liquids.

“It is now clear that public health comes second to political deal-making and that there is no evidence-based approach guiding these tax choices,” said Alberto Gómez Hernández, Policy Manager at World Vapers Alliance.

Member states unhappy with steep tax hikes on cigarettes and traditional tobacco products, plus Sweden’s objections to the minimum excise tax rate on nicotine pouches, prompted the Presidency to lower those rates for approval. To balance this, e-liquid rates went up instead.

“Less harmful nicotine products are being used as bargaining chips in negotiations between member states. The discussion is not about improving public health, but about increasing tax revenue whilst keeping all member states happy” added Gómez Hernández.

The World Vapers’ Alliance urges EU member states to reject a tax framework built on political compromise rather than scientific evidence. A credible approach to taxation should be transparent, proportionate, and rooted in evidence, not in last-minute concessions designed to secure unanimous approval.