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The EC’s Push for Stricter Nicotine Regulations Sprearheaded by Misinformation From Dutch Minister

While the European Commission (EC) excluded tobacco-related legislation from its 2025 work program, the Dutch government, alongside Belgium and Latvia, is pushing for renewed focus on revising tobacco control laws. The proposed changes would impose stricter regulations across the EU to reduce product attractiveness and limit accessibility—both physically and economically.

Diane Caruana

March 21, 2025

Earlier this month, Dutch Health Minister, Vincent Karremans, criticized the European Commission for delaying new legislation on nicotine products, describing the decision as harmful to public health. In a letter addressed to EU Health Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi, Karremans urged the Commission to take immediate action by introducing strict regulations on e-cigarettes, nicotine pouches, and other emerging nicotine products. This includes comprehensive limits on flavours, maximum nicotine levels, and the introduction of plain packaging for all nicotine-containing products.

Karremans expressed concern over the rapidly expanding market for tobacco alternatives such as nicotine pouches, which are currently not covered under the existing Tobacco Products Directive (TPD). While the TPD regulates both traditional and novel products like e-cigarettes and heated tobacco, it does not account for newer items that have emerged since its adoption. The Dutch government believes that this regulatory gap allows these products to escape consistent oversight, increasing their appeal to young people.

Like the World Health Organization (WHO), the EU maintains that novel nicotine products pose concerning health risks, alleging that the long-term effects remain unclear, despite reliable studies indicating that the products are significantly less harmful than traditional cigarettes.

Dutch Health Minister pressures EU Commission to advance tobacco regulation

Karremans called for the Commission to align regulations across the EU by applying plain packaging rules to all tobacco and nicotine products. While eight member states—including the Netherlands, Belgium, Ireland, and Finland—have extended plain packaging laws to novel products, others, such as Greece and Italy, oppose such measures. Implementing EU-wide regulations would standardize packaging, limiting the marketing appeal of these products.

In response to Karremans’ letter, the EC has put forward a set of restrictions on vaping and nicotine pouches, and while driven by the Netherlands, the proposal has been supported by a minority of member states.

The Health Minister’s letter also raised concerns about the cross-border sale of nicotine products, which allows consumers to circumvent national restrictions. For example, while Belgium has banned heated tobacco products, consumers can still purchase them online or import them from neighbouring countries. This undermines national policies aimed at restricting access to these products. A similar problem exists in France, where high tobacco taxes have led consumers to buy cheaper alternatives from countries like Luxembourg and Germany.

Additionally, Karremans emphasized the need for stricter social media regulations. The Dutch government is calling on the Commission to work with digital platforms to remove promotional content for tobacco and nicotine products—particularly content aimed at young people. The letter suggests that these platforms should prevent the upload of marketing material for such products before or immediately after it goes live.

And while tobacco harm reduction experts may be in support of some of the proposed measures, such as restrictions on youth-targeted social media adverts, other suggested amendments have raised concerns about their potential implications on smoking cessation efforts.

Sadly, the EC which is in the process of revising its tobacco control framework, with key directives such as the Tobacco Products Directive (TPD), Tobacco Advertising Directive (TAD), and Tobacco Excise Directive (TED), has failed to differentiate between sensible and non-sensible proposals. In response to Karremans’ letter it has put forward a set of restrictions on vaping and nicotine pouches, and while driven by the Netherlands, the proposal has been supported by a minority of member states.

Meanwhile, the Polish EU Presidency has signaled a desire to revive discussions on tobacco taxation, despite the Commission’s decision to leave such reforms out of its 2025 agenda. These developments indicate a growing divide among EU member states, with some advocating for tougher controls while others, such as Sweden, resist broadening regulations on alternative nicotine products.

World Vapers’ Alliance criticizes Dutch Government’s Innacurate statements on vaping

In turn, the World Vapers’ Alliance (WVA) has released an open letter to the EC and EU Member States, expressing strong opposition to the proposals. The group highlighted that these could significantly hinder tobacco harm reduction (THR) efforts by limiting access to safer alternatives for smokers.

The WVA has also criticized State Secretary Vincent Karremans for making inaccurate and harmful claims about vaping, arguing that such statements undermine public health efforts. Karremans’ assertion that nicotine is the most addictive substance after heroin and crack misrepresents scientific evidence and adds to the increasing misinformation about vaping in the Netherlands.

In line with arguments by countless experts in the field, the WVA highlighted that spreading misinformation about vaping could hinder efforts to reduce smoking rates. Extensive research indicates that vaping is significantly less harmful than smoking and has already helped millions of smokers transition away from combustible tobacco. The organization warns that misleading statements may discourage smokers from considering vaping as a safer alternative.

Karremans also claimed that nicotine harms the developing brain and increases susceptibility to other addictions, but these assertions conflict with data from Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), as well as the latest research. ASH reports indicate that young vapers are less likely to become nicotine-dependent than smokers and that population-level evidence does not support the gateway hypothesis—the idea that vaping leads to smoking. Furthermore, ASH emphasizes that no definitive data exists on the direct effects of nicotine exposure on human adolescent brains, casting doubt on the claims about developmental harm.

The truth is in the numbers

While Sweden and New Zealand are making significant strides toward smoke-free status by adopting harm reduction strategies, the Netherlands lags behind, with smoking rates nearing 20%. Despite evidence showing that encouraging the use of safer nicotine products can reduce smoking prevalence, Dutch policymakers continue to focus on spreading alarmist narratives rather than embracing proven harm reduction approaches.

The WVA is urging the Dutch government to correct its misleading statements and adopt a science-based approach to vaping regulation. The organization argues that continuing to promote misinformation will prolong the smoking epidemic and prevent smokers from accessing life-saving alternatives like vaping.