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MEPs voted not to regulate electronic cigarettes as if they are medicines, which would have hugely restricted sales. A quick scan of comments sections on websites reporting this result shows a lot of support for keeping e-cigarettes widely available. There is a growing community of regular users (known as "vapers") who are likely to have influenced their MEPs' decisions. It is currently unclear what effect this vote will have on a decision earlier this year to require medicinal licensing for electronic cigarettes in the UK.
- Cigarette packets will be required to have health warnings covering 65% of the pack. This is an increase on current requirements but falls short of the 75% that was originally proposed
- Packs of 10 cigarettes and those shaped like perfume or lipstick, such as the one in the picture, will be banned. This is because they are thought to encourage smoking in young people
- There is to be a ban on flavoured cigarettes, but with a 5 year delay for menthol cigarettes
- Snus is an oral tobacco widely used in Sweden to help smokers quit. MEPs rejected amendments to allow sales in some other countries. Read the arguments in favour of lifting the ban here
The debate was surrounded by controversy due to claims of the tobacco industry trying to influence the vote. It has been reported that one of the leading tobacco companies, Philip Morris International, have spent around €1.2million lobbying MEPs and had met with 31% of all MEPs by June last year.
