Overview
- An Irish EU Council presidency draft circulating on November 9 proposes limiting personal imports to one 'Stange' — 200 cigarettes — and cutting permitted e‑liquid travel allowances from 100 ml to 40 ml.
- The measures are packaged as changes to the Tobacco Tax Directive that member states must transpose into national law next year, with the rules scheduled to take effect in early 2028.
- The draft also sets new EU minimum cigarette tax rates but would not force Germany to raise its taxes because its current levels already exceed the proposed minima.
- Member states can choose to set higher national allowances, creating uneven implementation across the bloc, and industry groups are split with tobacco representatives warning of more illicit trade while the vaping group BfTG supports the lower e‑liquid limit.
- If adopted by finance ministers, the rules aim to reduce cheap cross‑border bulk buying that affects local retailers and tax revenue but may pose enforcement challenges and could shift some demand to illegal channels.