The other shoe has finally dropped across the sea in Europe. The dreaded Tobacco Products Directive, including article 18 has been passed by a disturbingly comfortable margin



The TPD in general deals with… tobacco products in Europe and includes a few restrictions including only allowing cigarettes to be sold in packs of 20 (instead of 10, which is popular in some countries) as well as a flavor ban. Menthol will also be banned by 2022.

However, it’s article 18 that deals with electronic cigarettes. Despite a last-minute decision to put article 18 up for a separate vote, it was still easily ratified meaning a host of restrictions will be placed on e-cigarettes in the EU in coming years. Some of the highlights include:

Nicotine limits of not more than 20mg/ml

e-Liquid can be sold in a maximum bottle size of 10ml

Tanks will be limited to 2ml of capacity or less

Tanks must be leak proof both for filling and use

Member states are free to require medical regulations for e-cigarettes

This ruling is a boon for companies that have stayed with the traditional e-cigarette with prefilled cartomizer route (and big pharma). More independent companies and of course vapers in the Union have gotten a raw deal today. I expect it will also be a boon to black marketers for certain products as well.

Update: My pals over at the Ashtray Blog put up a post about this ruling as well as some things Europeans might be able to do to turn this mess around. You can check that out here.

Update 2: Clive Bates has an article that lays out all of the e-cigarette provisions of the TPD.