The European Commission proposed a ban on the sale of flavored heated tobacco products on June 29. It should be noted that it is not a ban on vaping e-cigarettes.

The move is part of Europe's "Beat Cancer" plan, which envisages that by 2040, less than 5% of the EU's population will use tobacco.

EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides said: "Nine out of 10 lung cancers are caused by tobacco and we want to reduce the appeal of smoking as much as possible to protect the health of our citizens and save lives.

Cancer is the second leading cause of death for the group's 450 million inhabitants, according to EU figures. There are approximately 1.3 million cancer deaths and 3.5 million new cases in the EU each year.

Regulators need to keep pace with new developments to address the constant influx of new products into the market, Kyriakides said.

A recent report showed that sales of flavoured heated tobacco products increased by 10% in more than five EU countries from 2018 to 2020. Overall, these products accounted for more than 2.5% of total tobacco product sales in the EU in 2020.

The committee and parliament will debate the committee's proposal before it enters into force 20 days after it is published in the Official Gazette. EU countries will have eight months to translate the directive into national law, and three months before the regulations come into force.