Read articles from Greece

July 04, 2025 by euronews.com

The Greek parliament has passed a new law to protect minors from smoking and alcohol. The legislation includes strict age verification for sales, bans smoking in certain public areas, and limits advertising. Violations—such as selling tobacco or alcohol to minors or employing them in bars—can result in fines up to €10,000 and up to three years in prison. The law is broad in scope and introduces strong penalties to ensure compliance.

May 01, 2025 by vapingpost.com

Consumer groups and vaping advocates in Europe oppose Greece's plan to ban flavoured e-cigarettes, fearing it will harm harm reduction efforts. They argue that flavours help smokers switch to safer options and caution against unintended consequences seen in Denmark. The ban risks driving former smokers back to cigarettes and the black market. Data shows adult vapers prefer flavoured products. Experts recommend science-based regulations that protect public health while supporting harm reduction. In Denmark, a ban on vape flavours unintentionally increased youth use and spurred illegal sales. Critics warn against over-regulation and point to Sweden's harm reduction success. Research confirms flavoured vapes aid smoking cessation. Advocates call for evidence-based policies to safeguard gains in public health.

April 25, 2025 by greekcitytimes.com

Greece's conservative government plans to ban flavored alternative tobacco products, excluding natural tobacco and mint. The legislation aims to restrict minors' access to alcohol and tobacco, eliminating popular flavors appealing to youth and potentially affecting 10,000 employees. The bill, nearing completion, faces challenges, like needing EU approval and criticism for possibly restricting adult consumers. Despite the high smoking rate, analysts support the focus on limiting underage access. The move aligns with ongoing EU discussions on revising tobacco laws amid the rise of alternative products like e-cigarettes and heated tobacco.

April 23, 2025 by euractiv.com

Greece's conservative government is preparing a bill to ban all flavoured alternative tobacco products, except for natural tobacco and mint. Although Greece has typically resisted stricter regulations on these products, recent incidents involving underage alcohol consumption have strengthened the case for tougher measures. The draft law aims to limit minors’ access to tobacco and alcohol and would remove popular flavours like chocolate and watermelon from the market. This could impact around 10,000 jobs, including 2,000 specialized retailers. The bill is in its final consultation phase, but it’s still uncertain if the flavour ban will remain in the final version.

April 23, 2025 by greekreporter.com

Greece is preparing a bill to ban all flavoured e-cigarettes and alternative tobacco products, aiming to make their sale out-of-reach for Greek teenagers. Under the draft law, flavours like biscuit, chocolate, watermelon, fruit and even whiskey, which are particularly popular among both teenagers and adults, would be pulled off the market, with only tobacco and mint flavours spared. The e-cigarette sector in Greece employs about 10,000 people, including 2,000 specialized retailers.

April 17, 2025 by worldvapersalliance.com

Consumer advocates and vaping organizations warn against Greece's proposed ban on vape flavors, fearing it will reverse progress in reducing smoking rates. The ban could push adults back to smoking or the black market, ignoring evidence that flavors help smokers quit. Advocates urge policymakers to prioritize harm reduction, engage with experts, and consider evidence-based regulations to protect youth without penalizing adult smokers.

March 06, 2025 by planetofthevapes.co.uk

Dr Konstantinos Farsalinos, a researcher in Greece, criticizes a study claiming vaping is more harmful than smoking. He supports vaping as a safer alternative, citing a study with 17,973 patients that shows switching reduces cardiac risks. Farsalinos emphasizes vaping benefits for heart health and challenges misconceptions about nicotine's cardiovascular risks. His insights question recent studies equating vaping with smoking risks, suggesting they will be debunked. The study reveals challenges in smoking cessation, highlighting the importance of promoting vaping as a harm-reduction tool for cardiovascular health.

November 07, 2024 by tobaccoreporter.com

Greece plans to enforce stricter penalties for businesses selling alcohol, electronic cigarettes, and vaping products to minors. This initiative involves multiple ministries and aims to enhance alcohol laws. Offenders may face imprisonment, fines, and business closure. Authorities noticed past oversights regarding minors' access to harmful products. Changes include increased law enforcement and tougher regulations to safeguard minors.

April 08, 2022 by ekathimerini.com

Despite a ban on indoor smoking, Greece remains among the countries with the highest smoking rates in the world, although there has been a significant decrease compared to a few years ago, the chief executive of tobacco giant Philip Morris International, Jacek Olczak, tells Kathimerini in an interview.

Olczak says that the ideal for smokers, over 1 billion worldwide, would be to quit smoking altogether, but as the indications so far show that they will not, the most “pragmatic approach” is to use products that eliminate combustion, such as e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products.

November 16, 2021 by greekcitytimes.com

Greece records the second highest share of daily cigarette smokers within the EU for 2019 according to the latest Eurostat data, at 23.6% with Bulgaria in first place at 28.7%.

Following Greece are Latvia (22.1%), Germany (21.9%) and Croatia (21.8%).

In contrast, the countries with the smallest shares of daily smokers were Sweden (6.4%), Finland (9.9%), Luxembourg (10.5%), Portugal (11.5%) and Denmark (11.7%).