EU countries want vaping included in bloc's tobacco tax law

9/12/2024 14:44

Sixteen EU countries asked the European Commission on Monday to propose a new law in the coming months on taxing tobacco in the bloc to include new products such as electronic cigarettes - vapes - which are not covered under the existing legislation.



The initiative, led by the Netherlands, has the support of Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Latvia, Slovakia, Spain, Belgium, Bulgaria, Ireland, Slovenia and Portugal.



In a letter to the Commission, finance ministers from the countries say an update to the bloc's 2011 EU tobacco taxation law is needed because - in the absence of EU regulations on vaping - each country now applies different rules and levels of excise tax, distorting the bloc's single market.