According to him, vapes, which are significantly cheaper than a pack of regular cigarettes, are a way to attract teenagers to smoke and "get them hooked" on nicotine, which is often found in e-cigarettes. This, in turn, leads to addiction. In addition, the minister noted that plastic, battery and circuits that make up electronic cigarettes are hazardous chemical waste, therefore negatively affect the environment. Vandenbroucke stressed that Belgium will be the first country in Europe to ban the sale of disposable e-cigarettes. He also wants to strengthen tobacco measures in the European Union and called on the European Commission to "come up with new initiatives to update tobacco legislation... [Read more]