Lack of EU regulation of nicotine pouches and a nicotine-addicted generation
31.8.2023
Question for written answer E-002498/2023
to the Commission
Rule 138
Nicolás González Casares (S&D)
Current EU legislation prohibits the sale of tobacco products for oral use, like snus, except in Sweden. However, this ban does not apply to similar products that do not contain tobacco but do contain nicotine, including in very high doses, such as nicotine pouches, which are mainly sold by large tobacco companies. They have become a lot more popular in recent years and the Member States have taken very different regulatory approaches: from banning them completely – as in Belgium and the Netherlands – to allowing them to be sold without any restrictions whatsoever.
Nicotine is highly addictive and can reach even higher blood concentrations in these new products than in traditional cigarettes. This, combined with the fact that flavourings are added to them and they are cheaper than cigarettes, means that they pose a particular risk to the health of younger generations.
In view of the above:
- 1.Does the Commission intend to regulate these products at EU level?
- 2.Does it consider that the inaction and lax approach to regulating these products, which are helping to create a nicotine-addicted generation, are compatible with the objective of a tobacco-free generation?
Submitted: 31.8.2023