The irregular market for electronic cigarettes in Europe already represents 48% of the annual volume sold, according to a study presented on March 12 by the Fraunhofer Institute IIS. The document estimates a value of 6.6 billion euros in 2024 for that segment and places Spain at 39%. The authors warn that the lack of traceability and control could aggravate the risks for consumers and minors.
The investigation shows a heterogeneous market in which products that are legal but not authorized for a specific country, imports without adequate taxation, and devices that are clearly illegal or of uncertain origin coexist. In this sense, the study specifies that 35% of the irregular market can be directly attributed to illegal trade, while another 13% corresponds to private imports of unapproved or untaxed products. According to the authors, this regulatory fragmentation within the European Union favors incentives for commercial diversion.
The report adds that around 90% of electronic cigarettes destined for Europe originate in China, with Shenzhen as a major industrial hub. Of this percentage, a part arrives in Spain, after passing through other logistics nodes such as Germany, the Netherlands or Belgium and is later redistributed within the internal market.
A problem for public health
The authors explain that vapes of irregular origin evade quality controls, labeling and consumer protection, making it difficult to know precisely what they contain and under what conditions they were manufactured. The presentation statement itself warns that these products can escape the standards required in the EU, a particularly delicate issue in disposable devices and open systems, where the liquid adds another layer of opacity.
This warning fits with previous work on defaults in the European market. A study published in Environmental Research already documented the presence of electronic cigarettes and tobacco products that violated community legislation in several European countries. The lack of regulatory uniformity makes surveillance difficult and favors the circulation of illegal items.
Spain above Portugal
39% of this illegal market reaches Spain, which, although it is below the 58% calculated for France and 44% for Italy, is above the 30% for Portugal (according to the logistics nodes). Furthermore, the study projects an annual growth of 8.6% for this irregular trade, reaching 10.8 billion euros in 2030 if current incentives are not corrected.
Uwe Veres-Homm, head of risk analysis and localization at Fraunhofer IIS, said in the presentation that “for the first time it has been possible to systematically map the irregular electronic cigarette market in Europe.” Horst Manner-Romberg, managing director of MRU GmbH, added that “products from irregular sources evade consumer protection and quality controls,” while putting pressure on distributors and retailers who do operate under fiscal and health regulations.
Less prohibition and more control
The document rejects a strategy based only on national bans and proposes regulatory harmonization, digital traceability and cooperation with countries of origin. According to the statement, the key would be to unify definitions, improve the monitoring of supply chains and act before export. The underlying issue, therefore, is not only commercial, and the growth of the irregular market suggests that European supervision has not yet found an effective formula to contain an increasingly opaque circuit.