WVA Warns WHO Europe Not to Overlook Science in New NCD Health Strategy
The World Vapers' Alliance warned on Oct. 26 that the new noncommunicable-disease health strategy being discussed at the WHO Regional Committee for Europe's 76th session risks unintended consequences, because it groups tobacco together with less harmful nicotine products.
The committee gathers in Copenhagen from Oct. 27-29, with health ministers and delegates from the region's 53 Member States set to consider the strategy. According to WVA's review of the action plan presented for the meeting, the document rightly notes that tobacco causes 1.2 million deaths annually across the WHO European Region, but when it comes to new nicotine products it provides no specific evidence on their impact on noncommunicable diseases.
"The action plan presented for the discussion groups tobacco and nicotine products together, failing to acknowledge the differences between combustible cigarettes and less harmful nicotine alternatives," WVA said in a statement from Copenhagen.
The group argued that while reducing smoking rates and keeping nicotine products away from adolescents are legitimate public-health goals, policymakers should weigh the scientific evidence on less harmful products and real-world examples from countries with evidence-based policies — above all Sweden, which it said has become the first EU country to bring its smoking rate below 5% alongside widespread access to alternatives such as nicotine pouches.
Liza Katsiashvili, operations director of the WVA, said Sweden "is one of the clearest examples of how a country can implement a progressive tobacco policy and successfully reduce smoking rates through innovation." Ignoring such examples and taking a biased approach toward less harmful alternatives, she added, "will not make Europe's journey towards a smoke-free future any easier."
The alliance called on WHO European Member States to recognise the differences in risk between nicotine products and to include tobacco harm reduction strategies in the new health strategy, in line with Article 1(d) of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which frames tobacco-control policies to include measures aimed at harm reduction.
The warning lands as the EU separately prepares its own revision of tobacco rules later this year, with bans on disposables, nicotine pouches and flavoured products on the table — a debate in which the bloc's consumer groups and public-health advocates remain sharply divided over whether regulation should treat all nicotine products alike.
[Reference]
- World Vapers' Alliance press release (Oct. 26, 2026) — https://worldvapersalliance.com/eu/wva-warns-who-europe-against-ignoring-the-science-in-new-health-strategy/
- WHO, 76th session of the WHO Regional Committee for Europe — https://www.who.int/europe/about-us/governance/regional-committee/76th-session-of-the-who-regional-committee-for-europe
- WHO/Europe, What to watch for at RC76 (Oct. 26, 2026) — https://www.who.int/europe/news/item/26-10-2026-what-to-watch-for-at-rc76
- WHO position on Tobacco Control and Harm Reduction — https://www.who.int/publications/m/item/who-position-on-tobacco-control-and-harm-reduction