Belgium's Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke (Vooruit) is proposing to ban all vape flavours except tobacco. However, the sector federation Perstablo is threatening legal action if Vandenbroucke follows through with his plan.
Vandenbroucke is basing his decision on a new advisory opinion from the Superior Health Council, which has revised its position, report Het Nieuwsblad, Gazet van Antwerpen, het Belang van Limburg and De Standaard.
Previously, the Council was rather reluctant to recommend a ban, but now all experts are in favour of some form of restriction. Flavours have been banned in the Netherlands since January 2024, and the results there are encouraging.
"The vape is an invention of a criminal industry that wants to get a new generation of children addicted to nicotine," Vandenbroucke told the newspapers. "The countless flavours mask the enormous harmfulness of the product."
Legal action
When the ban would take effect remains unclear. Vandenbroucke would prefer to implement it as soon as possible, but a lengthy legal process still awaits.
Meanwhile, the federation of press, tobacco, and gambling retailers Perstablo is not pleased with Vandenbroucke's plan, and calls it "an absurd measure with disastrous consequences" that gives free rein to the illegal market.
If Vandenbroucke pushes through his proposal, Perstablo will explore all available legal avenues to challenge the decision, they said. The legal action will not only question the validity of the measure but also map out the minister's decision-making process and the implications for the sector.
