Key Takeaways
- Portugal and six other countries have submitted objections in Brussels over the UK Tobacco and Vapes Bill.
- The countries are Portugal, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Greece, Italy, Slovakia and Romania.
- Portuguese sources said the bill “clearly contravenes the principles of the treaties, as well as the Windsor Framework.”
- The objections focus on the possibility that the bill could create unjustified barriers to the free movement of goods between the UK and the European single market.
- The UK Department of Health said the legislation is “fully compatible” with international obligations relating to Northern Ireland.
2Firsts, April 24，2026
According to SIC Notícias, Portugal is one of the countries opposing the UK Tobacco and Vapes Bill. The bill would ban the sale of tobacco products to people born on or after Jan. 1, 2009.
Seven countries submitted objections to Brussels
The report said that, in addition to Portugal, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Greece, Italy, Slovakia and Romania have submitted “reasoned opinions” and “formal observations” to Brussels, setting out why they believe the bill is unlawful.
Portugal said the bill breaches the Windsor Framework
Portuguese sources told SIC Notícias that the legislation “clearly contravenes the principles of the treaties, as well as the Windsor Framework.”
The Windsor Framework is the legal mechanism agreed between London and Brussels in 2023 to ease customs controls involving Northern Ireland.
The core dispute centers on barriers to the movement of goods
SIC Notícias said the concerns raised by those countries center on possible restrictions resulting from the law. In their view, those restrictions would “create unjustified barriers to the free movement of goods at the borders between the UK and the European single market.”
The issue could lead to formal talks between Brussels and London
According to The Times, the dispute “could lead to formal talks between Brussels and London, and, as a last resort, to a legal dispute.”
The report also said the bill has been backed in the UK House of Commons and is due to be debated in the House of Lords.
The UK Department of Health told The Times that the legislation is “fully compatible with international obligations in relation to Northern Ireland.”
UK officials said the bill will save lives
Baroness Gillian Merron, parliamentary undersecretary of state at the Department of Health and Social Care, told the Lords on Monday that the measure is “the biggest public health intervention in a generation” and said it “will save lives.”
Image source: Portugal Resident.
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