Exclusive Interview With The Greek Electronic Cigarette Association: Open-type Products Account For 80% Of The Market, And Chinese Brands Such As Innokin And Aspire Are The Most Popular

Exclusive interview with the Greek Electronic Cigarette Association: Open-type products account for 80% of the market, and Chinese brands such as Innokin and Aspire are the most popular

 

The Greek e-cigarette market has developed rapidly under strict supervision, with 80% of the market share occupied by open systems, and Chinese brands are particularly popular. In addition, Greece imposes a market access fee of 50 euros/SKU on e-cigarette products. Despite the challenges of TPD regulations, Greece still has strong demand for alternative tobacco products.

 

From September 24 to 26, the 2024 Global Tobacco and Nicotine Forum (GTNF) was held in Athens, Greece. At this GTNF, 2Firsts exchanged views with e-cigarette industry professionals in Greece, the host country. Panos Panayiotopoulos, chairman of the Greek Association of Traders for Vaping Products (GATVAP), introduced the recent market and trends in Greece to 2Firsts. He said that the e-cigarette industry is experiencing rapid development and strict supervision.

Chairman of the Greek Electronic Cigarette Products Traders Association: Panos Panagiotopoulos

 

More than 80% of the e-cigarettes in the market are open systems, and the most popular are Chinese brands

 

Greece is one of the few European countries that imposes taxes on non-nicotine tobacco products. As a member of the European Union, Greece's e-cigarette regulations are consistent with the EU's Tobacco Products Directive (TPD). In November 2023, the Greek Ministry of National Economy and Finance adjusted the tax on non-tobacco products containing nicotine, including products such as "non-combustion electronic products" and "nicotine bags".

 

Panos told 2Firsts that more than 80% of e-cigarettes on the Greek market are open systems because Greek consumers tend to choose flavors freely and open systems are less expensive. The economy is an important influencing factor. In 2023, Greece's per capita GDP was about 23,966 euros. In terms of per capita GDP, Greece is below the EU average and ranks in the bottom half of EU countries.

 

When asked which brands of e-cigarettes are the most popular, Panos said that the most popular brands on the market are mainly Chinese brands, such as INNOKIN, Aspire, etc.

 

In addition, he also mentioned that Greek importers prefer to purchase e-cigarette products from within EU member states rather than importing from non-EU countries such as the UK or the US to simplify the process of products entering the Greek market.

A Greek online e-cigarette store sells products | Source: 2Firsts

 

The market access fee for e-cigarette products is set at 50 euros/SKU

 

According to Panos, e-liquids entering Greece need to be registered with the European Poison Control Center, requiring that "each e-liquid formula must be unique" and have a 16-digit code to enter the database.

 

According to 2Firsts' query of the EU official website, the introduction to it is "European Poison Control Center refers to poison control centers established in various European countries. These institutions are responsible for providing emergency help, diagnosis and treatment advice on poisoning incidents. They usually receive consultations from the public and medical professionals, especially in incidents of exposure to poisons, chemicals, drug overdoses, animal and plant toxins, etc."

 

For e-cigarettes, Greece requires these products to be registered before they can be sold on the market and pay a one-time fee of 50 euros/SKU, which is called the "market access fee."

 

TPD is a disaster, but Greece has a huge demand for cigarette substitutes

 

Panos said that although Greece is a small country, it also has 3.5 million smokers, so the market has a huge demand for reasonably priced and effective heated tobacco products, e-cigarettes and other cigarette substitutes.

 

In recent years, several international tobacco companies have entered the local market. Philip Morris International previously stated that since 2017, the investment plan in the Aspropyrgos factory in Greece has promoted a significant increase in the production of IQOS products.

 

In November 2023, Japan Tobacco International (JTI) announced that it plans to invest about 3 billion euros (about 3.2 billion US dollars) in Greece in the next three years to expand its investment in heated tobacco products.

 

Panos believes that despite government obstacles, the market for atomized tobacco products will continue to grow. They witnessed the birth of TPD-2 and are expecting TPD-3. Although they believe that TPD is a "disaster", "the association believes that the market will continue to grow because millions of smokers need a safer alternative."

 

At the same time, Panos suggested that companies or brands interested in entering the Greek e-cigarette market should understand local regulatory policies, respect market rules, and provide high-quality products.

 

Finally, Panos said that the main goal of GATVA is to fight for the rights and interests of atomization products to government agencies, the European Union and regulators as an official representative. Its mission is to ensure that the Greek people have unimpeded access to atomization products to promote the transition from traditional tobacco to alternative products.