Recently, a piece of news has attracted attention. France announced measures for a “smoke-free generation”. It will be considered by the House of Representatives next December. What is concerning is that France’s “smoke-free generation” measures include a ban on disposable e-cigarettes and related tax issues. In fact, countries such as the United Kingdom and Ireland have recently been following up on new measures for the “smoke-free generation”, including one-time resolutions.
According to Agence France-Presse, French Minister of Health and Prevention Aurélien Rousseau told the outside world at the launch of the national anti-smoking plan that according to the World Health Organization (WHO) and all independent studies, “increasing tobacco prices” is the most effective anti-smoking measure, and to achieve this goal, Health Minister Russo explained in detail the two main pillars of the plan, “strengthening taxation and bans on tobacco,” including a ban on the use of disposable e-cigarettes. That comes as lawmakers intend to outlaw disposable e-cigarettes, with a preliminary vote on a draft law banning disposable e-cigarettes expected to take place in the French National Assembly next month.
The plan aims to create a “smoke-free generation” in France by 2032, which is also a commitment made by current French President Macron.
France said that raising prices is to prevent young people from spending and reduce the affordability of consumer groups. For example, in France, the price of many brands of tobacco has reached 11 euros per pack of 20 cigarettes. The price is expected to increase to at least €13 in 2026, with the price in 2025 increasing to €12 for the first time. Cigarette prices should start to rise from January 1, 2024.
Regarding disposable e-cigarettes, France believes that it will ban the use of disposable e-cigarettes because this is a need for public health and environmental protection. It was also mentioned that the sale of disposable e-cigarettes, especially products favored by teenagers, will be banned. This decision bill will be proposed by cross-party parties. The bill has been reviewed by the committee and will be considered in the House of Representatives on December 4.
In addition, Russo announced that all beaches, public parks, forests, and some public places, especially around schools, will become smoke-free zones. It also intends to continue work carried out in recent years to make tobacco less attractive and to introduce unmarked, neutral packaging for all tobacco and e-cigarette products.
France, as one of the important e-cigarette markets in the world, has a population of 67 million, with more than 2.8 million e-cigarette users. According to some overseas data, there will be 23,500 tobacco shops in France in 2022, with annual sales of 3.6 billion euros, of which disposable e-cigarettes account for 140 million euros. It can be seen that the status of disposable e-cigarettes in France cannot be underestimated. Its national e-cigarette market value has exceeded RMB 8 billion.
The global vaping landscape may be changing! At present, some European countries are already deploying e-atomization measures for next year. This is expected to be a round of changes. Chinese overseas companies should pay more attention to the changes and respond in a timely manner.
