Belgium's Minister of Public Health, Frank Vandenbroucke, announced on Saturday that the country will ban the sale of disposable electronic cigarette vapes from January 1, 2025. This decision aligns with the minister's goal of achieving a "tobacco-free generation" in Belgium.
The European Commission has approved Belgium's request to implement this ban, making the country the first in Europe to take such a decisive step against disposable e-cigarettes. The United Kingdom, which is no longer part of the European Union, has already implemented a similar ban.
Disposable E-Cigarettes Targeted as Harmful and Attractive to Youth
Minister Vandenbroucke emphasized the negative impact of disposable e-cigarettes on society and the environment, stating, "This harmful product mainly targets our youth. I am therefore delighted to be able to remove it from the market."
Smoking remains one of the leading causes of preventable illness and death in Belgium. As part of the minister's anti-tobacco plan, a series of measures have been introduced to motivate smokers to quit and discourage non-smokers, particularly young people, from starting.
Belgium Leads the Way in Europe Against Tobacco Lobby
The minister's plan initially called for the ban on disposable e-cigarettes to take effect from January 1, 2025. However, after submitting the regulation to the European Commission in 2021, the dossier has finally been approved this week, allowing Belgium to implement the ban sooner.
The royal decree prohibiting the sale of disposable e-cigarettes is currently being drafted. With this measure, Belgium takes a pioneering role in Europe in weakening the tobacco lobby and protecting its citizens, particularly the youth, from the harmful effects of smoking and alternative smoking products.
"Our goal is a tobacco-free generation, and we want citizens, especially young people, to be better protected and have less contact with tobacco or alternative smoking products," Minister Vandenbroucke concluded. "By taking this measure, we are removing an extremely harmful product from the market, which is also cheap and therefore attractive to young people. Belgium is playing a pioneering role in Europe to weaken the tobacco lobby. This is a new milestone in our fight against smoking."
