The World Vapers’ Alliance (WVA) today released an Open Letter to the European Commission and EU Member States, strongly opposing recent proposals for stricter regulations on tobacco harm-reduction products. These proposals, spearheaded by the Netherlands and supported by a minority of member states, threaten to undermine years of progress in helping smokers quit through safer alternatives like vaping and nicotine pouches.
The open letter, backed by over 100,000 petition signatures from concerned citizens across Europe, calls out policymakers for ignoring scientific evidence and public opinion in favour of misguided, prohibitionist approaches.
Michael Landl, Director of the World Vapers’ Alliance, stated:
“It’s outrageous that politicians are willing to sacrifice the health of millions of smokers on the altar of ideology. These proposals fly in the face of all credible evidence on tobacco harm reduction. Flavour bans and higher taxation won’t reduce smoking rates – they’ll drive people back to cigarettes or black markets. It’s a public health disaster waiting to happen.”
Landl added, “The fact that over 100,000 Europeans have signed our petition against these measures should be a wake-up call to policymakers. Citizens want access to safer and better alternatives, not more restrictions. It’s time for the EU to listen to its people and embrace harm reduction, not fight it. We won’t stand by while bureaucrats and misguided politicians threaten the lives of millions of smokers and ex-smokers.”
The WVA calls for a balanced approach that prioritises harm reduction, consumers, and evidence-based policymaking over prohibitionist measures.
