The European Commission is failing Europe’s smokers by refusing to acknowledge one basic fact: nicotine pouches and other smoke-free alternatives are not cigarettes. They sit on completely different risk levels, yet Brussels insists on treating them as if they are equally harmful. This is not an oversight – it is policy built on misleading narratives that keep people stuck with the most dangerous product on the market.

We already know harm reduction works. Sweden’s near smoke-free success, along with strong results in Greece and the Czech Republic, prove that when people have access to safer options, smoking rates collapse. Instead of learning from these examples, the Commission looks the other way.

At the same time, Brussels is quietly moving toward centralised taxation powers over tobacco and nicotine products. If successful, this will make safer alternatives more expensive and less accessible, especially for lower-income consumers – the very people who stand to benefit most.

This reckless direction risks undoing a decade of public-health progress. Europe needs clear science, honest communication, and respect for member states that have shown what real harm reduction looks like.