Spain Proposes to Collapse E-cigarette Industry and Hand Over to Tobacco Companies

The Spanish government has recently presented a draft bill proposing to put an end to the independent electronic cigarette industry in Spain and transfer the entire e-cigarette business to large tobacco companies.

The Spanish government is proposing to ban and shut down all e-cigarette shops across the country, as well as prohibit all online sales in its "Anteproyecto de Ley del Mercado de Tabacos y otros Productos Relacionados" (Draft Law on the Tobacco Market and Other Related Products). This move goes against all principles of EU law (such as equivalence, good regulation, good management, fair competition, and coordination) and would transfer the sales of e-cigarettes and e-cigarette liquids to the state monopoly of tobacco shops (estancos).

These measures clearly violate:

The EU's free competition and the free movement of goods within the internal market could result in severe unemployment during new economic crises. This could have a devastating impact on Spain's tobacco industry and limit personalized access to e-cigarette products, forcing consumers to purchase from tobacco shops that primarily sell combustible tobacco products.

IEVA is urging the Spanish government, medical institutions, autonomous communities and consulting agencies providing feedback on the draft legislation to carefully reconsider this measure and reject an unfair and disproportionate law that will only increase Spain's tobacco/smoking rate.

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