Belgium to Ban Sales of Disposable E-Cigarettes Starting Next Month 1, Fine of 12 Million KRW Imposed

The Belgian government announced that it will impose a complete ban on the sale of disposable e-cigarettes starting from the 1st of next month, drawing attention to the reasons behind this decision. As the first comprehensive sales ban across Europe, Belgian authorities cited health reasons for the prohibition.

According to AFP on the 30th, the Belgian government stated that as a measure to protect public health and reduce waste, it will fully ban the sale of disposable e-cigarettes beginning next month. Additionally, starting from the new year, all smoking activities will be legally prohibited within a 10-meter radius of playgrounds, stadiums, and health and educational facilities. However, rechargeable e-cigarettes are excluded from the sales ban as they may help people who want to quit smoking. Violations of these regulations may result in fines of up to 8,000 euros (approximately 12.31 million KRW), depending on the case.

Other European countries are also preparing regulations on disposable e-cigarettes. In the United Kingdom, the sale of disposable e-cigarettes will be banned starting June next year, and France is about to implement similar measures after receiving approval from the European Union (EU) for domestic legislation. When the law is enforced, violations such as production, sale, or free distribution of disposable e-cigarettes may incur fines of up to 100,000 euros (approximately 150 million KRW).

European health authorities have taken a tough stance on disposable e-cigarettes because chronic nicotine inhalation is known to harm adolescent brain health and may encourage the use of other drugs.

There is also a possibility that such policies will spread throughout the European Union (EU) in the future. Earlier in June, 12 EU member states, including France and Germany, urged the executive branch, the European Commission, to establish strengthened anti-smoking policies. The EU aims to reduce the smoking population across all 27 countries from the current 25% to below approximately 5% by 2040.