"Of course I'd prefer people not to smoke. But if they use alternative products such as legal vapes or nicotine pouches, the number of smokers falls. We can control the quality of these products and they generate revenue for the State."
MR President Georges-Louis Bouchez never loses sight of public health, but he is a realist: "People will always continue vaping or smoking. So I'd rather they use legal, controlled products that bring money to the Belgian state to fund prevention and care. If that money goes to China or, worse, into the pockets of the mafia, we can't fund awareness campaigns or support our healthcare system."
Félix and Cédric Rijkers, entrepreneurs from Antwerp, had invited Bouchez to visit HEXA's production site in Schelle. HEXA is Belgium's only producer of vaping products. The brand is market leader in our country and is developed, produced and distributed by the company Thribe. This Belgian family business was founded by four brothers and employs more than 120 people.
The MR President therefore went to see the activities of the Rijkers brothers, who expressed their concerns about the impact the announced measures on vaping products could have on their business and on the legal Belgian sector.
"I've come to listen to entrepreneurs in this sector, while the Health Minister refuses to talk to them," says Bouchez. "Listening doesn't mean agreeing with everything. We can't treat these people, who follow the rules, as criminals. They are entrepreneurs active in a sensitive sector. Under the previous government, I often saw politicians treat entrepreneurs in the gambling, tobacco or alcohol sectors as criminals. I don't share that view."
Vapes and nicotine pouches are less harmful and help reduce the number of people reaching for cigarettes. "In Scandinavian countries, these products are allowed. There, the number of smokers has fallen dramatically. Whereas in our country, about one in five people still smoke."
The Netherlands, for example, introduced a flavour ban on vapes, except for tobacco flavour. "The result? 85% of young users simply keep vaping with flavours from China, over which we have no control at all. Some of these illegal products even contain pesticides. The money disappears abroad or into criminals' pockets. So we lose on every front."
A total ban is a bad idea
Young people too buy these products abroad via the internet or from night shops that sell them under the counter. This is dangerous for public health, as there is no control at all. And the State misses out on precious revenue. "Did you know the Belgian State loses around one and a half billion euros because cigarettes, nicotine pouches and vapes are bought abroad or counterfeited?" explains Bouchez. "Moreover, the upcoming measures risk destroying a Belgian company. These are young entrepreneurs who became market leaders through their own efforts. If there's no ban at European level, it's absurd to introduce one in Belgium."
Opinions on this still need to be issued, including at European level. But the Superior Health Council believes a total ban is not a good solution. "So we'll have to discuss this again. A total ban may create a sense of moral righteousness, but it creates more problems: for consumers' health, for tax revenue and for a Belgian company that risks closing its doors."
"Look at the high excise duties on cigarettes. A pack costs twice as much in Belgium as in Luxembourg, which pushes people to buy them there," Bouchez argues. "Belgium is among the European countries where the most counterfeit cigarettes are sold. The result: people keep smoking, often even more harmful products, and the Belgian State loses millions of euros every year."
Hypocrisy
"Do my fellow politicians want to ban alcohol and tobacco completely? Then let's talk about that. But as long as people smoke or have a drink, we need tax measures so that these products are bought in Belgium, and not, for example, in Luxembourg or France."
Unfortunately, there is hypocrisy surrounding this issue. "Everyone knows people smoke and drink, everyone knows illegal or foreign products are used, but most act as if nothing is wrong," says the MR President.
"I'll say it openly: we're talking about hundreds of millions of euros that we can keep in our country. Money we can use to fund prevention campaigns to encourage people to quit smoking. I'll be the first to celebrate that, but in the meantime, I'd rather the State keep control and collect the revenue, instead of the mafia or other countries."