The European Commission has announced that revisions to its tobacco control laws will be fast tracked, with a proposal now expected next year.

A leaked draft of its Cardiovascular plan – now renamed the Safe Hearts Plan – obtained by EurActiv and Politico, shows that the Commission plans to “propose, in 2026, a revision of the legislative framework on tobacco control”. The Commission says it wants smoking rates to be less than 5% in 2040.

An earlier draft seen by Clearing the Air suggested that the proposal would come in 2027. Any Proposal by the European Commission will be amended and signed off by both the European Parliament and EU Member States.

Regaining the initiative

Sources close to the political process say that the Commission was under pressure to bring forward the revision after having failed to achieve its objectives at the WHO’s tobacco control convention, where a bloc of Member States refused to agree to condoning bans on safer nicotine products against the wishes of the EU Executive.

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