"Alliance between snus users and vejp users could save smoke-free options in the EU"

Sweden needs to build alliances within the EU to defend Swedish alternatives to cigarettes. This is the view of Swedish MEP Charlie Weimers (SD). 
"We are quite alone in the EU with nicotine pouches, but there is a good opportunity to bring in countries where other forms of harm reduction, such as vejping and e-cigarettes, have become popular," he says.

This week, the EU Parliament opened for an autumn of tough negotiations on nicotine taxes and the future regulation of smokeless nicotine products. The European Commission has proposed a tax package to finance a record-breaking budget for the years 2028 to 2034. This includes increases in the EU-wide minimum tax on cigarettes, but also new taxes on smokeless nicotine products such as e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches.

Shocking tax increase 

If the proposal becomes a reality, the tax on white snus in Sweden would increase by almost 500 per cent, a price increase of around SEK 20 per can. Like many other EU countries, Sweden already levies an excise duty on the e-liquid in e-cigarettes, but the European Commission is now proposing a tax on nicotine-free liquids - which would increase the price of these liquids by SEK 2 per millilitre.

The winds may be changing in Brussels

Charlie Weimers is working to ensure that the more liberal, and typically Swedish, stance on smoke-free nicotine is heard in the EU Parliament. And although progress is slow, he believes that the recent discussions on nicotine pouches and vapes have nevertheless led a majority in the EU Parliament to make higher demands on the Commission than before.

"Parliament now requires legislators to evaluate proposals for new nicotine products based on the available science. And they should include not only the research that supports what the Commission wants, but ALL available research. Parliament today endorses a policy that encourages smokers to switch to less harmful nicotine products." Charlie Weimers told Vejpkollen.

"Have the science with us"

According to Charlie Weimers, there are strong arguments today that harm reduction has an important role to play in the nicotine market in the future. Not least because several major health organisations support the strategy

"We have a lot to gain from the fact that both the UK authorities and the US FDA have been very clear about the relatively lower risks of e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches. It shows that we have the science on our side and it gives us some hope for the future in the EU. But of course there are those who oppose all this, and they are mainly in the European Commission and in the bureaucracy." says Charlie Weimers.

Not just taxes 

In the coming years, not only will the TPD be discussed at EU level, but a revision of the EU Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) is also underway. Currently, smoking products and e-cigarettes are included in the directive, but in future versions it is expected that nicotine pouches will also be centrally regulated. According to leaked working documents, this could mean anything from outright bans, to restrictions on popular flavourings and very low nicotine levels.

"That's the good thing about the proposed taxes. They are there to generate income for the EU, so it seems very silly to suddenly ban them. On the other hand, there are organisations and many bureaucrats in the EU who are pushing this line. If you look a little closer at who they are, they are the same puritans who fought against smoking in the past. When more and more people quit smoking and even the tobacco companies are going smoke-free, they have to find something else to fight against. This is not a scientific approach, and it is something we who do not want a ban must dare to face and raise in the debate," says Charle Weimers.

"Access saves lives"

Charlie Weimers says Sweden is an example of a positive trend, with the proportion of smokers approaching the WHO's 5% smoke-free threshold.

"We have the lowest cigarette prices in the EU, but we smoke less than everyone else. Any sensible person understands that this is about snus, and now the popularity of nicotine pouches, although some activists keep saying otherwise. But we also need to recognise that this has taken time and correlates with other efforts, such as smoke-free environments. But the bottom line is that, as with e-cigarettes in other countries, access to these products is likely to save lives. And that's a strong argument." says Charlie Weimers.

Seeking new alliances 

According to Charlie Weimers, Swedish politicians in the EU need to ally with other countries to overcome the obstacles that exist in the Parliament to bring a harm reduction perspective into the Union's common tobacco policy.

"Sweden can use its veto to get the absurdly high snus tax off the negotiating table. But the important thing here is to get clear and differentiated taxes on nicotine in the end, which also affects the price for consumers. This is how we have it in Sweden, for example, it is cheaper to use snus than to smoke, and this is a model that should apply throughout the EU. If Sweden is to pursue this line, and we must do so to defend our nicotine pouches, we must build alliances on the issue," Charlie Weimers told Vejpkollen.

Personal experiences matter

He points in particular to countries where e-cigarettes and vejpning are popular. Like Italy and Greece.

"We can push the issue together and demonstrate the positive effects of smokeless nicotine on the market. Not just with scientific arguments. We need to use real-life examples. In my case, it's about my mum. She and my aunt were smokers. Mum quit with the help of snus. She is alive today. My aunt continued smoking and died from COPD and emphysema. Similar stories exist in all countries and it's very important that they come out," says Charlie Weimers.

Negotiations on the Tobacco Excise Directive (TED) will begin in the autumn, and the Swedish government is currently seeking the views of stakeholders in Sweden ahead of the negotiations with the European Commission. The consultation period ends on 16 September.