{"id":6842,"date":"2026-02-27T02:56:02","date_gmt":"2026-02-27T07:56:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/worldvapersalliance.com\/?p=6842"},"modified":"2026-02-27T02:56:02","modified_gmt":"2026-02-27T07:56:02","slug":"23-scientific-experts-confront-von-der-leyen-over-commissions-damaging-misinformation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldvapersalliance.com\/en_gb\/23-scientific-experts-confront-von-der-leyen-over-commissions-damaging-misinformation\/","title":{"rendered":"23 Scientific Experts Confront von der Leyen Over Commission\u2019s \u201cDamagin …"},"content":{"rendered":"

BRUSSELS, 27 February 2026<\/strong> \u2013 In an open letter <\/a>addressed to President Ursula von der Leyen, 23 of Europe\u2019s leading scientific experts have condemned the European Commission for spreading \u201cdamaging misinformation\u201d regarding the safety of nicotine products. The signatories accuse Commissioner V\u00e1rhelyi of making \u201cscientifically untenable\u201d claims that smoke-free alternatives are as harmful as combustible cigarettes.<\/p>\n

The letter highlights a pattern of false statements, including the Commissioner\u2019s claim that vaping causes \u201cpopcorn lung\u201d\u2014a condition for which there are zero known cases attributable to e-cigarette use. Additionally, by equating low-risk products with lethal cigarettes, the Commission is accused of undermining the \u201cEurope\u2019s Beating Cancer Plan\u201d and the credibility of EU institutions.<\/p>\n

Michael Landl, Director of the World Vapers\u2019 Alliance, stated:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThe experts are right to hold President von der Leyen\u2019s Commission accountable. When top officials lie about the relative risks of nicotine, they are effectively betraying millions of smokers and ex-smokers. This disinformation doesn\u2019t just confuse the public. It protects the cigarettes by removing the incentive for EU smokers to switch to far less harmful alternatives. It is a dangerous breach of trust.\u201d<\/p>\n

The letter warns that misrepresenting risks will lead to more smoking, excessive taxation, and the growth of an unregulated black market.<\/p>\n

The World Vapers\u2019 Alliance echoes the call of these 23 scientists for the Commission to immediately correct the record and ensure that future policymaking is grounded in sound science rather than politicised and harmful rhetoric.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

BRUSSELS, 27 February 2026 \u2013 In an open letter addressed to President Ursula von der Leyen, 23 of Europe\u2019s leading scientific experts have condemned the European Commission for spreading \u201cdamaging misinformation\u201d regarding the safety of nicotine products. The signatories accuse Commissioner V\u00e1rhelyi of making \u201cscientifically untenable\u201d claims that smoke-free alternatives are as harmful as combustible […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":6730,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6842","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-press-releases"],"yoast_head":"\n23 Scientific Experts Confront von der Leyen Over Commission\u2019s \u201cDamaging Misinformation\u201d - World Vapers' Alliance<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"23 of Europe\u2019s leading scientific experts have condemned the European Commission for spreading \u201cdamaging misinformation\u201d regarding the safety of nicotine products.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/worldvapersalliance.com\/en_gb\/23-scientific-experts-confront-von-der-leyen-over-commissions-damaging-misinformation\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"23 Scientific Experts Confront von der Leyen Over Commission\u2019s \u201cDamaging Misinformation\u201d - 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