The European Commission has proposed that the European Union ban all flavoured heated tobacco products after a surge in popularity, reports Bloomberg.

According to Stella Kyriakides, Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, a ban on flavoured heated tobacco products would help Europe towards its goal of less than 5 per cent of its population using tobacco by 2040. Alternatives to cigarettes such as heated tobacco products have been hailed as less harmful by producers but have recently come under scrutiny for appealing to young consumers and luring them in, reports Bloomberg. Tobacco products in general are facing tougher regulations as the US considers lowering nicotine levels in cigarettes and the UK proposes raising the legal smoking age to phase out tobacco use among young people. Meanwhile, e-cigarette maker Juul has recently been banned on the US market by the FDA and is currently appealing the decision.
The European Council and the European Parliament will now scrutinise the proposal and if accepted the ban would come into effect 20 days after publication in the Official Journal. Should the ban receive the go-ahead, EU Member States would have to transpose the directive into their national law within eight months, according to Bloomberg.