EU Commissioner calls e-cigarettes the tobacco industry’s revenge

The EU may be on its way to increase taxes on, among other things, e-cigarettes.

On Friday, the finance ministers of EU countries will at least discuss a proposal from the EU Commission to update the EU’s tobacco directive from 2014.

And there is good reason to do so, according to EU Commissioner for taxation Wopke Hoekstra.

– Europe has a serious problem when it comes to tobacco, says Wopke Hoekstra.

He points out that Europe, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), again ranks first as the area in the world that consumes the most tobacco.

– Tobacco kills one in two Europeans today. Particularly e-cigarettes are a huge problem. They are the tobacco industry’s revenge because they target young people and make them susceptible to tobacco products, says Wopke Hoekstra.

If it ends with a yes to the EU Commission’s proposal, it will mean higher minimum taxes across the EU.

In other words, it will make products more expensive throughout the EU and ensure smaller differences between countries to limit cross-border trade.

At the same time, the directive will be expanded to include new products such as e-cigarettes, heated tobacco, and nicotine pouches.

– The scope we have in the legislation today is too limited, so we need to expand it, says Wopke Hoekstra.

The EU Commission also estimates that EU countries collectively miss out on 13 billion euros each year in taxes. This corresponds to nearly 97 billion kroner.

– Therefore, we need to have a first discussion on tobacco today, says Wopke Hoekstra on his way into the meeting in Luxembourg with the finance ministers of EU countries.

The EU Commission presented its proposal for an amendment to the directive on July 16 this year. Thus, it is currently up to the Danish EU presidency to continue the negotiations, says Minister of Finance Stephanie Lose (V).

– It is good to get the proposal on the table. It is important that we get a revision of the directive, and I look forward to the discussion with my colleagues about the EU Commission’s proposal, says Stephanie Lose on her way into the meeting.

However, not all countries are unequivocally enthusiastic about the EU Commission’s proposal.

Sweden’s Minister of Finance, Elisabeth Svantesson, believes that the proposal for minimum taxes unfairly targets the beloved Swedish snus.

– Some of my colleagues think that snus is more dangerous than cigarettes. I have to explain that this is not the case.

– In Sweden, we tax based on the degree of danger. Therefore, we tax cigarettes more than snus, says Elisabeth Svantesson.

She asserts that the tax increase that the EU Commission proposes on snus “will not happen.”