Politicians were trying to keep pace with what was a “rapidly evolving landscape of tobacco and nicotine products,” Tedros wrote. The coming revision of EU regulations “represents a critical opportunity for tobacco control” globally, he wrote. The legislation was the subject of a fierce lobbying campaign by the tobacco industry at the time. The Republic has introduced national legislation to ban the sale of disposable, single-use vapes, and extended restrictions around the sale and marketing of tobacco products to vapes. The European Commission, the union’s executive arm that proposes laws, is evaluating existing EU regulations, before suggesting changes.

Source: The Irish Times February 15, 2026 13:30 UTC