News item | 26-05-2025 | 14:13
On Tuesday 27 May, State Secretary Vincent Karremans (Youth, Prevention and Sport) will visit Brussels. The aim of the visit is stricter and harmonized EU legislation for vapes and other nicotine products. Karremans speaks with, among others, the Belgian Minister of Health Frank Vandenbroucke about how they want to work together and move Europe to take more measures against Vapes. Karremans also holds an opening speech at a WHO/NGO event in the context of World No Tobacco Day.
Stricter European policy
The visit follows the letter that State Secretary Karremans sent last March. With the support of 11 other EU member states, he called on the European Commission to make EU legislation for VAPES and other nicotine products much stricter. For example, flavors that make Vapes attractive for young people throughout the EU must be restricted and cross-border sales of distance between EU countries are tackled. In the letter, Karremans also addresses the committee to do more against the sales and marketing of tobacco and nicotine products via social media together with social media platforms.
Pull together
Just like the Netherlands, Belgium also strives for a smoke -free generation in 2040. That is why both countries want to work together to get at European and national level with stricter measures for VAPES. At the moment there is a flavor ban for VAPES in the Netherlands and a ban on disposable vapes in Belgium. When more the same rules for VAPES are introduced in European countries, it becomes less attractive for people to buy Vapes across the border.
Speech for the WHO
Not only the Netherlands sounds the alarm about the consequences of the increasing popularity of Vapes. The WHO also draws attention to this with the event ‘Unmasking the Industry Tactics: Safeguarding Europe’s Youth Through Stronger Policies’. State Secretary Karremans holds the opening speech here, in which he speaks about the importance of cooperation and a speedy revision of European legislation, so that we can cope with the challenges we stand on the way to a smoke and nicotine-free generation in 2040.