FLER at APE

German Federal Environment Minister Carsten Schneider said he is preparing legislation to ban disposable e-cigarettes and will present a bill this year. Industry data estimated that legal e-cigarette sales in Germany rose by about one quarter in 2025 to €2.4 billion. Refillable devices are not expected to be affected by the ban.

China has launched mandatory national standards work for heated cigarettes and nicotine pouches, further formalizing regulation of both categories. The move may help lay groundwork for future market entry, but does not signal imminent domestic commercialization.

India’s Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) seized approximately 300,000 illegal e-cigarettes and vaping devices worth more than ₹120 crore (approximately $14 million) during coordinated multi-state enforcement operations.

U.S. Senator Dick Durbin on May 13 criticized the Trump Administration’s Food and Drug Administration for approving the sale and marketing of fruit-flavored e-cigarettes for the first time, while also allowing some illegal vaping products to remain on the market. He also linked the regulatory shift to the departure of FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, saying White House pressure on regulators to approve tobacco product applications could create serious public-health consequences.

The UK Tobacco and Vapes Bill is set to return to the House of Lords on April 20 for consideration of Commons amendments in the parliamentary “ping pong” process. The bill aims to create the first “smoke-free generation” by ensuring that children turning 15 this year or younger can never legally be sold tobacco. It also seeks to enable product and information requirements to be imposed in connection with tobacco, vapes, and other products.

Imperial Tobacco Canada responded to the April 17 press conference by anti-smoking groups by calling for a more focused, fact-based discussion on youth vaping that targets the illicit market. The company said youth should not be using nicotine products and that it supports strong measures to prevent youth access, but argued that the discussion failed to clearly distinguish between the regulated market and the illicit market that is driving youth access.