00:00The EU has spent decades trying to make smoking disappear,
00:03but while traditional cigarettes are declining,
00:05a new nicotine addiction problem is rising amongst young people,
00:09faster than government expected.
00:10Across the EU, one in four adults still smokes,
00:13tobacco causes more than 700,000 deaths every year,
00:16it remains the leading cause of preventable cancer,
00:19and nicotine use among teenagers is rising again.
00:23For years, the EU's anti-smoking strategy appears to be working.
00:26Higher taxes, advertising bans,
00:28and graphic warning labels pushed the smoking rates from 28% to 24%.
00:34But then came a new generation of nicotine products.
00:37Today's nicotine market includes traditional cigarettes,
00:40e-cigarettes and disposable vapes,
00:42heated tobacco products and nicotine pouches.
00:45According to the World Health Organization,
00:47around 11.6% of European teenagers aged 13 to 15
00:52now regularly use tobacco or nicotine products.
00:55That means more than 1 in 10 adolescents are already consuming nicotine
01:00before they can legally buy many of these products.
01:03Health experts argue that the rice has been driven by sweet and fruity flavours,
01:07social media promotion, easy online access and colourful packaging.
01:11Sporters of vaping and some health experts argue that these products are less harmful than cigarettes.
01:17But less harmful doesn't mean harmless.
01:19Researchers have identified substances in vape aerosols,
01:23including formaldehyde, acetatehyde and acrolaine.
01:26And nicotine itself remains highly addictive.
01:29Public health experts also warn that nicotine exposure during adolescence
01:33can affect brain development and increase the risk of long-term dependence.
01:37For Brussels, this creates a new challenge because the old anti-smoking rules
01:41were only built for tobacco products.
01:44In 2026, the European Commission reviewed European tobacco laws
01:48and found that while traditional smoking rates are lower,
01:51the laws are failing to target new nicotine products.
01:54The answer is a major rewrite of how tobacco and nicotine products are taxed and regulated.
01:59The revised tobacco taxation directive will increase taxes on traditional cigarettes,
02:05introduce EU-wide minimum taxes on vapes,
02:07tax heated tobacco products and tax nicotine pouches for the first time.
02:11The goal is simple, make nicotine products more expensive and less attractive,
02:15especially for young consumers.
02:17For the full story, read our in-depth explainer on euronews.com.
