Introduction: As smoking bans spread across Eastern Europe, overall cigarette sales in Europe have been declining, and cigarette consumers are turning to new products such as vaping devices that are driving growth in the tobacco industry. According to Bri
Summary: As smoking bans spread in Eastern Europe, cigarette sales across Europe are on the decline, with cigarette consumers turning to new products that drive growth in the tobacco industry—namely, the development of e-cigarettes.
According to news from China’s e-cigarette industry: Reports from British American Tobacco indicate that from January to June 2014, the company’s cigarette sales amounted to 331 billion sticks, a decrease of 1 billion sticks compared to 332 billion sticks during the same period in 2013, marking a 20% decline in sales.
Insiders point out that sales in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa reached 112 billion sticks, an increase of 1 billion sticks compared to 111 billion sticks in the same period last year. However, the company’s sales in the Americas dropped to 63 billion sticks in the first half of this year; in Western European countries, sales saw a significant decline of 8.8%, totaling only 52 billion sticks.
Meanwhile, e-cigarette products are experiencing steady growth in Eastern Europe and the Middle East. With the implementation of anti-smoking legislation, many consumers of tobacco products are forced to seek alternatives, with e-cigarettes becoming their first choice.
Additionally, e-cigarettes allow consumers to enjoy their products without barriers. As noted in an article published by The Guardian, traditional tobacco products in the tobacco industry have lost momentum, and new legislation has made tobacco brand management a significant issue. In this context, more and more people are turning to e-cigarette products.
In Europe, nearly 7 million people have succumbed to e-cigarettes. European authorities are considering classifying e-cigarettes as medicinal products. It is reported that the 28 member states of the EU have reached a compromise on e-cigarettes, allowing them to be freely sold in Europe under certain conditions.
However, the positioning of e-cigarettes has ultimately become the biggest point of contention: should they be classified as freely sold consumer goods or as medicinal health products only available in pharmacies?
After discussions among the 28 countries, it was decided that e-cigarettes with a nicotine concentration below 20mg/ml could be classified as consumer goods. Member states can still decide whether e-cigarettes fall under the category of health products. Furthermore, European legislators have stipulated that the liquid cannot exceed 10ml and must have child safety features. This agreement will come into effect in 2016.
The rapid spread of e-cigarettes in the Middle East and Eastern Europe has become quite heated due to policy interventions. Clive Bates, a former official of the UK tobacco agency, also believes that the classification of e-cigarettes as medicinal products will impact the entire industry, especially in the UK, France, and Germany, where significant investments have already been made in the e-cigarette industry.
