Slovenia's government has proposed a ban on vaping devices with tastes other than tobacco and menthol, submitting an amendment to the country's tobacco control statute for ratification by the National Assembly. If the bill is passed, Slovenia will become the eighth European country (and seventh European Union member) to have such a law.
The limitation would apply to both nicotine-containing and nicotine-free vaping devices. The proposed Slovenian law would also prohibit any non-tobacco tastes in heated tobacco products (HTPs), including menthol.
Some news sites stated that the taste limits had already been lifted, however this appears to be inaccurate. The amendment must be voted on in the National Assembly. If it receives legislative approval, it will become law 15 days after publication in the national gazette.
According to Knowledge-Action-Change's Global State of Tobacco Harm Reduction study, Slovenia has around 26,200 vapers and an adult vaping prevalence of 1.48 percent. More than 400,000 Slovenians smoke cigarettes, accounting for 22.7% of the adult population, or around 15 times the number who vape.
Slovenia also imposes a vape tax, charging €0.18 per milliliter of e-liquid—roughly €10.80 for a 60 mL container.
Six European nations, including Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Lithuania, and Ukraine, have already implemented functional vape flavor bans. The Netherlands enacted a taste ban, which was supposed to take effect in July 2023, however, it is still not fully implemented. Except for Ukraine, all nations that have restricted non-tobacco tastes are members of the European Union. No European country has enacted a complete vape prohibition.
Slovenia is a hilly nation with a population of around 2.1 million people. It shares borders with Italy, Austria, Hungary, and Croatia, and has a short Adriatic coastline. It gained independence from the former Yugoslavia and became an independent state in 1991. Slovenia joined the EU in 2004.
