Tobacco, the entire supply chain at risk from the revision of the EU directive. "Strong concern" from the Emilia-Romagna table
At the end of the meeting, the table decided to send a note, calling for a decisive stance by Italia in Brussels to demand a halt to the revision of EU rules on the production, sale and labelling of products
'Strong concern'. Without mincing words, the Emilia-Romagna permanent table for the tobacco sector, which met for the second time in a few months, raises the issue after the acceleration by the European Union on the revision of the Directive on tobacco and related products.
The subject of contention is the revision of the Tobacco Products Directive (TPD), the European directive regulating the manufacture, labelling and sale of cigarettes, including electronic cigarettes, inhalation liquids, heated tobacco and nicotine sachets. The public consultation is open until 15 June 2026. The legislative review is expected by the end of the year. Too soon, says the industry.
The request to the Government
The request to the government is explicit: to intervene immediately in Brussels to 'avert the presentation of a revision proposal in a phase already marked by a complex economic and international situation'. According to the table, a possible overhaul of the current regulatory framework would jeopardise a strategic sector from an economic and employment point of view. Agriculture, advanced manufacturing, research, exports: all at risk, in one fell swoop.
The risk is to penalise different products equally
The EU Commission first opened an evaluation to check the previous directive. The process then included a public consultation phase in which citizens were asked for their views on tobacco regulation. From this process an orientation is emerging that goes in the direction of equal penalisation for all the different product categories. This is why the Emilia Romagna Region has decided to set up a permanent round table to monitor the dossier and has expressed great alarm at this juncture.
The fear that is emerging is that of a univocal and penalising consideration for all tobacco products, even those such as heated tobacco products that have been recognised as having different characteristics both by Italian law and by international authorities such as the US Food and Drug Administration. An orientation that thus risks penalising a production strongly rooted in Italia with important effects and repercussions (including employment) on the country's economy.
