Overview
- The draft amendment to the Tobacco Products Ordinance is in interministerial coordination, with consultations of federal states and affected associations to follow and no announced timeline.
- The ministry cites Bundesinstitut für Risikobewertung assessments that classify cooling agents and 13 aroma substances as problematic, with menthol flagged for masking taste and easing initiation.
- Industry representatives warn the restriction could amount to a de facto removal of many regulated products, particularly offerings from Philip Morris’s Iqos and BAT’s Glo and Vuse.
- Trade groups and customs investigations point to a large illicit vape market in Germany and Europe, with roughly half of disposable products estimated illegal and many sourced from China and Hong Kong.
- According to BILD’s reporting, the measure would proceed via ordinance under Section 13 of the Tobacco Products Act without a Bundestag vote, with the Bundesrat to decide and medical societies voicing support to protect youths.