He said in a statement After the vote, Parliament “failed to protect children and young people today” and accused the EPP and far-right groups of blocking “critical recommendations” to extend public bans against electronic cigarettes and heated tobacco products.

As a result, the S&D group was “forced to vote against the watered-down resolution in order to preserve the integrity of anti-tobacco policies”, it said.

Tiemo Wölken, S&D coordinator for the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety, said: “It is cynical and scandalous that the EPP does not want to fight the number one cause of cancer and is getting caught up in countered by tobacco lobby rhetoric that e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products are harmless.

Michael Landl, director of the World Vapers’ Alliance, celebrated the vote, saying it “demonstrates that facts and consumer choices can prevail over fear-mongering and over-regulation, dealing a major blow to the rampant vaping mentality.” “nanny state which has too often characterized European regulations”.

This raises questions for next week’s meeting of health ministers, who were expected to sign an agreement on the recommendation.

So far, Italy and Romania have expressed some concerns about the measure, according to a report from a pro-vaping outlet, but a Council health official had said before Parliament’s vote that countries were expected to reach an agreement at their December 3 meeting.

The official said the vote would not affect the Council’s position next week on the plan, but it “raises concerns” over the review of the Tobacco Products Directive, upcoming legislation that will require support from all European institutions when it is finally published by the Commission. .

The Parliament result “is bad news,” the official added.