A recently leaked internal document from the European Commission has raised alarm within the tobacco harm reduction (THR) community. The draft proposal outlines steep tax increases on alternative nicotine products—namely e-liquids, nicotine pouches, and heated tobacco—suggesting a move that appears more motivated by revenue than by public health.
According to the document, the cost of a 10ml bottle of e-liquid could rise by at least €3.60 over the next four years. At the same time, minimum taxes on nicotine pouches and heated tobacco would exceed 50% of their retail price. These increases could disproportionately impact lower-income populations and countries, creating financial barriers to access and potentially pushing users back toward smoking or illicit markets.
Through the years, harm reduction advocates have consistently argued that such policies are short-sighted and counterproductive. While the Commission may claim to be addressing public health concerns, critics point out that pricing safer alternatives out of reach undermines the very efforts to reduce tobacco-related harm. When alternatives become inaccessible or unaffordable, rather than quitting nicotine altogether, users often return to combustible cigarettes—the most harmful form of nicotine consumption.
From progress to punishment – the tax plans threaten smoke-free gains
THR groups like the World Vapers’ Alliance (WVA) have been vocal in their opposition. Just days before the June 17, 2025 EPSCO Council meeting in Brussels, the WVA issued an open letter to EU health ministers, urging them to place harm reduction at the forefront of tobacco and nicotine policy. The letter emphasized that safer nicotine products—such as e-cigarettes and pouches—play a critical role in helping smokers transition away from harmful combustible tobacco.
In supporting their case, the WVA pointed to the success stories of Sweden, Greece, and the Czech Republic. Sweden is renowned for being on track to become Europe’s first smoke-free country. Greece and Czechia have both achieved substantial reductions in smoking prevalence, with six- and seven-percentage-point drops respectively, according to the latest Eurobarometer surveys. These nations have embraced harm reduction strategies and maintained access to reduced-risk products—an approach that is yielding tangible results.
Crippling the cure
The message of tobacco harm reduction experts is clear: penalizing safer alternatives through excessive taxation runs counter to public health goals. Instead, they advocate for a regulatory model grounded in scientific evidence and relative risk. By incentivizing the switch from smoking to safer products, policymakers can reduce tobacco-related disease and mortality far more effectively than with blanket restrictions or fiscal penalties.
Adding scientific weight to the harm reduction argument is a recent study published in Scientific Reports, which revealed that switching from cigarettes to e-cigarettes or heated tobacco products can lead to rapid improvements in aerobic fitness. Conducted by researchers at the University of Catania’s Center of Excellence for the Acceleration of Harm Reduction (CoEHAR), the study demonstrated that users who transitioned from smoking showed measurable gains in VO₂max—a key indicator of cardiovascular and respiratory performance—within just four weeks.
The Cost of Safer Choices
These improvements were observed across both e-cigarette and heated tobacco users, offering strong evidence that noncombustible nicotine alternatives not only reduce long-term health risks but also enhance short-term physical well-being. For younger users, who may be less concerned with long-term disease, the promise of increased fitness and stamina may be a compelling incentive to quit smoking.
The study underscores the urgent need to shift public health messaging away from fear-based narratives and toward strategies that highlight immediate, relatable benefits. It also reinforces the critical distinction between smoking and vaping—a distinction that tax policies should reflect if they are to support, rather than hinder, tobacco harm reduction.
As the European Union weighs its next steps, it faces a choice: pursue short-term fiscal gain at the cost of public health progress, or adopt an evidence-based, risk-proportionate approach that empowers millions of smokers to move toward a smoke-free future. The data, and the real-world success stories, make the better path clear.
