The sale of single-use e-cigarettes will be prohibited as of 1 January 2025 in Belgium, the country’s health minister Frank Vandenbroucke announced. The EU Commission has approved this ban. Belgium will therefore be the first EU member state to put an end to the sale of disposable e-cigarettes, also known as vapes, according to the minister.
Mr Vandenbroucke said these products were mainly aimed at young people and he was happy they would be removed from the market. The health minister pointed out that smoking is one of the main causes of preventable illnesses. Disposable e-cigarettes are not only harmful for human health but also for the environment, he added.
VapeBel, the Belgian association of e-cigarette retailers and distributors, welcomed the step, according to news agency Belga. The aim of vaping should be to provide adult smokers with an effective instrument to reduce smoking, the association was quoted as saying.
The discussions about a ban on disposable vapes have been ongoing for some time, also due to the risks to the environment and to waste management facilities associated with incorrect disposal of the devices. Recently, various European waste management associations called for a European-wide ban on single-use vapes. (dpa/EUWID)
