00:00The EU ha spento decadde trying to make smoking disappear
00:03ma while traditional cigarettes are declining
00:05a new nicotine addiction problem is rising among young people
00:08faster than government expected
00:10Across the EU, 1 in 4 adults still smoke
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
00:22For 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
01:15these products are less harmful than cigarettes
01:17But less harmful doesn't mean harmless
01:19Researchers have identified substances in vape aerosols
01:22including 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
01:39because the old anti-smoking rules were 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
02:04Introduce EU-wide minimum taxes on vapes
02:07Tax heated tobacco products
02:09And tax nicotine pouches for the first time
02:11The goal is simple
02:12Make 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
