Our association has officially joined IEVA — the Independent European Vape Alliance.

It is one of the key professional platforms for the vape industry in Europe.

Today, IEVA represents 16 industry associations, 20 international companies, and global partners.

IEVA supports:

1. Evidence-based regulation of vape products, rather than mechanically equating them with traditional cigarettes.

2. One of its key priorities: recognising vape products as a less harmful alternative for adult smokers who want to switch away from cigarettes.

3. Tackling the illicit market and supporting legal small and medium-sized businesses.

4. Product quality and safety for consumers.

5. Fair excise policy: taxation of vape products should not place small independent businesses at a disadvantage compared with large tobacco corporations.

VARES’ accession to IEVA is an important milestone for Ukraine’s entire legal market.

It gives us the opportunity to:

* study the experience of other countries and understand what can be applied in Ukraine;
* exchange information directly with European partners;
* analyse effective solutions that are already working in other countries;
* gain early access to new research and evidence.

This is a step towards European standards and a more developed future for our industry.

Ukraine’s legal market should become part of the European market — and this is the direction in which we are moving.