Research conducted by ECigIntelligence’s sister company Tamarind Intelligence, has revealed that while governments in Europe are likely to officially endorse reduced-risk nicotine products such as vapes, their ultimate decisions tend to be affected by the elections of individual member states.

ecent and upcoming elections in certain European countries may affect the future status of the products within the EU, said the research agency. Such elections include those held in Finland and Spain, as well as upcoming ones in Irlande and the Czech Republic.

Tamarind Intelligence editorial director Barnaby Page, explained that while European countries tend to have more favourable attitudes towards THR strategies and products, laws in the region tend to change rapidly, either due to government changes or simply because new issues surface, ” ..such as underage vaping or the environmental impact of disposable vapescome into the spotlight.”

In Spain, current vape regulations are quite harsh. In fact, last year 170 national and international THR experts sent an lettre ouverte calling on local authorities to change their strategy and embrace tobacco harm reduction. Finland who has similarly maintained a strict stance towards the products, has recently banned all kinds of tobacco and vape flavours.

In Ireland, Health Minister Stephen Donnelly has proposed a legislation that would ban the sales of vapes to under 18s. The bill has also restricted where the products can be advertised and who can sell them. On the other hand, last year ECigIntelligence had revealed that the Czech Republic is set to become the main EU proponent of tobacco harm-reduction policy.

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