Countries across Europe have endorsed Brussels’ initiative to extend smoking and vaping bans to outdoor public areas, despite some opposition and abstentions during the vote.
On Tuesday, health ministers gathered in Brussels, where Germany and Greece chose to abstain from the vote, while other countries, although critical of the plan, ultimately passed it.
The measure, which is nonbinding, aims to encourage national governments to implement bans on vaping and smoking in places such as transport hubs, outdoor terraces, beaches, and playgrounds. Although European Parliament members had opposed this move just days earlier, many national capitals expressed their support.
Critics, including German lawmaker Peter Liese, considered the vote a symbolic gesture. “I regret the voting outcome in the Health Council regarding the smoke-free environment topic,” said Liese, who believes that vapes should be distinguished from traditional cigarettes due to their potential role in helping people quit smoking.
While left-leaning MEPs argued that the proposal lacked strong measures on vaping, right-wing parliamentarians opposed EU regulation in this area altogether. The measure had backing from countries that have already enacted similar domestic policies, advocating for uniformity across Europe. France’s Health Minister Geneviève Darrieussecq noted that new measures in France would phase out vape sales, emphasizing the need for corresponding actions at the European level.
Other countries, like Slovenia and the Netherlands, have also restricted flavored vapes, with the Dutch Health Minister Fleur Agema pointing out that cross-border sales of these products undermine national efforts, calling for stronger EU-wide measures. Belgium’s Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke highlighted the ongoing struggle with the tobacco industry, which continues to introduce novel products targeting and addicting young people. Estonia echoed these sentiments, noting that its ban on flavored vapes is compromised by varying regulations in neighboring countries.
Many countries, including Finland, Latvia, and Belgium, are now pushing for the European Commission to expedite revisions to EU tobacco laws, which will address taxation and update the overall tobacco framework. However, gaining the support of the European Parliament for these revisions may prove challenging.
