A group of 16 EU and Chinese countries, including the Netherlands, have jointly asked the European Commission to amend the tax law on cigarettes and introduce a uniform tax on new tobacco products such as vapes to ease the problem of the cigarette directive not being covered and different local rules.
A joint initiative of 16 EU countries
According to Business Standard on December 9, 16 EU countries, including the Netherlands, have asked the European Commission to propose new tax regulations in the next few months to allow taxes to be paid on new tobacco products such as e-cigarettes. At present, these products are not covered by the current law.
Request to the Commission to harmonize taxes on e-cig
The initiative was supported by Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Latvia, Slovakia, Spain, Belgium, Bulgaria, Ireland, Slovenia and Portugal.
In a joint letter to the European Commission, the finance ministers said that the current EU tax law on cigarettes in 2011 urgently needs to be updated. With no harmonized e-cigarette regulations, countries now apply different rules and excise duty levels, distorting the functioning of the EU single market.
According to the joint letter, under the current directive, most e-cigarette brands cannot be taxed like traditional cigarette products. The current directive is not sufficient to deal with the problems faced by Member State governments, as the tobacco industry is constantly introducing new products.
A revision of the EU’s cigarette tax law was supposed to be introduced by the end of 2022 but has been delayed. Governments want the new European Commission, which takes office on December 1, to take up the matter urgently.
Currently, the European Commission has set several regulatory standards for e-cigarettes, including limits on nicotine content and a requirement that e-cigarette labels should not be used by non-smokers. Manufacturers are required to register with the government before selling.
However, specific regulations still vary from country to country. In France, for example, vapes are banned for people under the age of 18, and their use is banned in some public places such as universities and public transport. In 2013, Italy lifted a ban on the use of e-cigarettes in public places, but they are still banned in and near schools. France has completely banned single-use e-cigarettes; The German Bundestag Senate has recommended that the government implement a similar single-use e-cigarette ban across the European Union.
