The European Commission wants to ban or severely restrict access to e-cigarettes, nicotine pouches and heating products. A leaked working document for the upcoming WHO tobacco meeting shows that the Commission wants to regulate all nicotine products on the basis of the same health risk - something that could have consequences for Sweden's current harm reduction strategy.
The European Commission is currently working on the official EU position for the World Health Organisation meeting on a revised tobacco convention, COP11, in November.
According to the news platform Clearing The Air, who have seen the leaked document, the Commission proposes that all nicotine products - whether smoke-free or not - should be regulated in the same way and considered a common public health risk.
"At the same time, the Commission dismisses harm reduction as a valid strategy for nicotine use, describing it instead as an industry-driven argument," writes Clearing The Air.
As Sweden usually supports the EU's common line in international negotiations, this position may also guide the Swedish delegation at the WHO meeting.
Swedish model under threat
Patrik Strömer, Secretary General of the Swedish Snus Manufacturers' Association, sees the development as worrying - both politically and in principle.
"This is serious. Perhaps not primarily because it concerns an issue close to my heart, but because there are hidden attempts within the EU to change the decision-making system so that the Commission can overrule member states," he wrote on social media.
During the summer, the European Commission also proposed that smokeless nicotine products be taxed at the same level as cigarettes - something Vejpkollen previously reported on.
In Sweden, the government has instead chosen a differentiated taxation, where snus and nicotine pouches are taxed more lightly to encourage smokers to switch to less harmful alternatives.
More countries want to see harm minimisation
This strategy has contributed to the fact that Sweden today has Lowest smoking rate in the EU - around 6 per cent, compared to the EU average of around 20. The government has repeatedly pointed to the availability of smokeless nicotine products as a key reason for this development.
But according to Strömer, this model is now threatened not only by tax proposals, but also by the way the European Commission is acting in the WHO context.
"Fortunately, several countries have opposed the proposed taxes on smokeless nicotine, including Sweden. This time, the European Commission wants to use the WHO to override member states and the existing regulatory framework. This is actually crazy - it's the European version of Trump methods," writes Strömer.
Facts: WHO Tobacco Convention (FCTC)
- Adopted in 2003, it is the world's first global public health treaty.
- Aims to reduce tobacco use by regulating sales, marketing and taxation. Harm reduction is also identified as a strategy to reduce the harm caused by smoking.
- The EU participates as a partner together with Member States.
- The COP11 meeting will be held in November 2025, where Member States will negotiate updates to the Convention.
