Overview
- The competition authority opened a formal case into whether phrases such as “senza fumo” amount to a misleading commercial practice for e‑cigarettes and heated‑tobacco devices.
- Officials, supported by the Guardia di Finanza’s Special Antitrust Unit, conducted on‑site inspections at Philip Morris Italia and the Philip Morris Manufacturing & Technology Bologna facility.
- The authority argues that “smoke‑free” wording may be unclear because products without combustion still carry health risks and can lead to dependency.
- Philip Morris says its messaging complies with Italian and EU rules, citing Legislative Decree 6/2016 transposing Directive 2014/40/EU and the definition of non‑combustion tobacco products.
- Consumer groups including Unione Nazionale Consumatori, Udicon, and Codacons welcomed the inquiry and called for sanctions or clearer warnings, with no findings or penalties announced so far.