Federal Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke has proposed a law to “prohibit the sale of tobacco products through vending machines”, La Libre Belgique reports. The ban is intended to make tobacco products less accessible to minors.
Belgium’s tobacco legislation, once considered lax by European standards (until 2019, the sale of tobacco was legal at 16 years old), has tightened year on year, with new bans and regulations coming into effect. Tobacco vending machines, already banned in countries such as the UK, France, Finland, Norway, and Hungary, are low-hanging fruit for the minister, who is seeking to turn the screws on the tobacco industry.
The new legislation has already been approved at first reading by the parliamentary committee. It will be sent for second reading on Tuesday and is expected to be approved without challenge.
“By 'vending machine', we mean the tobacco machines that we see in the street, for example in stations and restaurants,” Vandenbroucke specified. He fears that these machines are a way for minors to bypass ID controls at ordinary points of sale.
While most modern machines now use so-called “age-coins” (acquired after age verification) instead of normal currency, the minister believes that this is easily bypassed as the tokens can often be purchased online without any proper age controls. Moreover, the machines are often located in places often frequented by young people.
Some exceptions
The use of “semi-automatic” cigarette vending machines, such as those increasingly seen in supermarkets across the country, are not subject to the ban since they feature “several advantages” over other machines.
For instance, customers must ask cashiers for tobacco products as brands are hidden from display and therefore less visible to young people. Cashiers can also verify the age of their customers at the till before giving them a coupon to retrieve the cigarettes.
The minister says that these “semi-automatic” vending machines encourage “less impulsive” purchases of tobacco, as they are located in places outside of a social environment.
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The draft law includes deliberate exceptions for these machines, provided that an age check takes place in order to operate them and that tobacco products are removed from view.
Vandenbroucke also stressed the importance that ID checks are carried out at self-scan terminals. “A simple click on the screen to confirm one’s age is not sufficient."
The new rules are expected to come into force one year after their publication in the Belgian Official Gazette, giving vendors and the industry time to adapt.
