Supporters of the ban argue they pose a danger to youth health due to their highly addictive nicotine content and the range of flavours that they state make addiction easier.
This is part of the EU’s push to bring tobacco consumption down from 25 percent to 5 percent. An official survey by Belgian Health Interview found the share of the smoking population had decreased from 25.5% in 1997 to 15.3% in 2018, with a 2023 survey expected to show a further decline.