The European Union’s future approach to tobacco harm reduction hangs in the balance as the 11th Conference of the Parties (COP11) convenes next week, set to debate the same reduced-risk nicotine products currently under review by the EU.
This year, there is particular concern among harm-reduction advocates over the links between the COP’s position and the European Union’s policy on harm reduction. Martin Cullip, a consultant in tobacco harm reduction, warned that if the EU aligned with the COP’s recommendations, it could lock the Union into a more restrictive stance on nicotine alternatives, such as e-cigarettes, heated tobacco and nicotine pouches, jeopardising future revisions of the Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) and the Tobacco Taxation Directive (TTD).
