It should be noted that vape devices came under strict control rather late, so the main emphasis was placed on fiscal measures. In 2022, the tax was tightened: cartridges for electronic cigarettes, as well as preparations for use in these devices, became subject to excise duty in the amount of 1957 lei per 1 liter. In 2023, the excise tax on them increased to 2446.25 lei per liter. In addition, the nicotine content level for them was reduced from 72 mg to 20 mg per 1 ml, and the maximum allowed volume of cartridges and reservoirs was reduced to 2 ml.
There was no effect. In 2022, imports sagged, showing only 67.7 thousand e-cigarettes – 30 thousand less than a year earlier. And this – with a booming market and a double increase in the number of players (at that time there were 14 importers of e-cigarettes registered with ANSP).
In 2023, the methodology of accounting for vape devices changed: it was no longer recorded in units, but in liters of liquid contained in them. As a result, 6.5 thousand liters of such products were imported to Moldova. This is not a big deal either, considering the frenzied demand.
At the same time, the illegal sales channel came to the fore. E-cigarettes were openly and aggressively promoted in E-commerce – in at least 30 major online stores, including social networks (Instagram, Tik Tok, Telegram).
The Ministry of Health was the first to point out the scale of the disaster. As the Minister of Health Alla Nemerenco noted, the use of e-cigarettes among young people and especially among teenagers has sharply increased in the country. According to her, 12.7% of minors aged 13 to 15 in Moldova use e-cigarettes.
According to a study of the Community of Pediatricians of Moldova, conducted in 2023, 36% of minors surveyed used disposable e-cigarettes. This confirms that the problem with vaping among young people was already out of control at that time.
The data was also confirmed by tax audits. Thus, during 2022-2023. State Tax Service (STS) identified 1,128 accounts on the Internet, which openly placed advertisements for tobacco products and electronic cigarettes. Despite the 1 million lei penalty, many continued this practice.
The STS specialists noted that a total of 544 protocols on online sellers’ offenses were drawn up. The situation was aggravated by the fact that from October 1, 2023, e-cigarettes, as well as other tobacco products, should be sold only with an excise stamp.
What has changed over the past year?
The Customs Service told Logos Press that Moldova’s imports of e-cigarettes doubled in 2024. When asked by the editors, it was noted that almost 14 thousand liters of liquid for disposable e-cigarettes were imported into the country, which is twice as much as the year before. In addition, more than 35 tons of electronic devices for vaping were imported.
The danger of this phenomenon is that the liquids are bottled into vape devices not in factories, but on the local market, just before being sold to end consumers. Nicotine and flavorings are added to the liquid in incomprehensible doses, and it is almost impossible to check the final product.
The Ministry of Health notes that the range of vape and vaping-related products has grown by leaps and bounds. Many new products, such as heated tobacco and e-cigarettes with and without nicotine, have entered circulation. In the last year alone, the National Public Health Agency notified more than 1,300 new products in this category. In comparison, the conventional cigarettes section reported only 168 new products launched in the same year.
In retail, the situation is ambiguous. Large chains of grocery stores, alkomarkets, as well as gas stations state: in 2024-2025, there was a noticeable decline in sales of e-cigarettes. Retailers see the reason for this not primarily in the decline in demand, but in changes in sales channels and the priorities of suppliers themselves. They are interested in the development of their branded outlets for vaping products, so they put a strong emphasis on their own websites. However, the suppliers themselves agree with this only partially.
As Dmitry Strusovsky, importer of tobacco products and smoking accessories, owner of the Casa del Tabaco chain, noted for Logos Press, the decline has affected disposable cigarettes. The first reason is that the law limits the volume of cartridges and reservoirs of vape devices to 2 ml. This norm is observed by the official retailer, while illegals on the Internet still offer vapes of different capacities and without restrictions. Consequently, the mass user has switched to illegal products. Secondly, there is a trend among buyers to save money, so there was a shift from disposable vapes to reusable devices.
“One way or another, the shadow tobacco market is still thriving, staying out of the regulator’s sight,” says Dmitry Strusovsky. – In the case of e-cigarettes, we are talking about multimillion turnovers, which still do not lend themselves to control, including fiscal. The situation will get even worse in 2026, when e-cigarettes with different flavors will be banned. No one knows how this decision will be controlled, given the flow of smuggling from Transnistria. However, for authorized operators it is obvious: vape devices will concentrate as much as possible in the illegal segment”.
Leading expert of IDIS “Viitorul” Veaceslav Ionitsa noted that the tax pressure is unlikely to have the expected effect. Since 2022, excise taxes have been growing: in 2025, the excise tax on cartridges and tanks for electronic cigarettes increased by 15% (from 2690.87 lei per liter to 3094.50 lei per liter). However, such dramatic growth was accompanied by a lack of effective control mechanisms, resulting in a spontaneous and rapidly growing illegal market.
“We introduced strict rules for legal business, but did not ensure control at the borders,” the expert said. – The result was a paradox: legal business was under pressure, while the illegal market was stimulated to grow. In just two years (2022-2044), the country’s budget lost about 650 million lei amid the rapid growth of smuggling. New taxes have increased the margins of e-cigarettes, and the compactness of the products has made them extremely easy to smuggle. One woman’s bag can carry 2,000 euros worth of e-cigarettes. This is a very mobile and decentralized market, where even one or two people can organize a delivery.
Veaceslav Ionitsa emphasized that last year the volume of smuggling began to decrease (by 1.9 percentage points), which also affected tax revenues. In particular, some growth of VAT is recorded. Nevertheless, smuggling remains a persistent phenomenon that cannot be combated solely by fiscal or police methods. The main problem is that the market for illicit e-cigarettes is decentralized and operates in small batches, making it almost elusive.
“Adopted regulations should not just be formal, but enforceable in practice. At the same time, it is extremely important that the state considers legal business not as a source of problems, but as an ally in the fight against the shadow market. Otherwise, in Moldova we are fighting not with a bad habit, but with those who are ready to comply with the law, thus strengthening the position of those who violate it”.
Belgium has become the first country in the European Union to completely ban the sale of disposable e-cigarettes. The ban came into effect on January 1, 2025. The move is aimed at combating nicotine addiction among young people and minors, as well as the problem of environmental pollution. Belgian Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke described disposable e-cigarettes as “extremely harmful”, emphasizing their danger to both health and the environment due to the presence of “chemical waste” in such devices.
This problem is becoming increasingly acute not only in EU countries, but also in other regions of the world, where the illegal sale of disposable e-cigarettes to minors has been observed. For example, the UK, Germany, France and Ireland are in the process of completely banning the import of disposable vape devices.
Poland has recently joined this group of countries. The Polish Minister of Health stated that these products have attractive packaging and more than 7.7 thousand specific flavors, and recent surveys show that 23.4% of girls and 21.2% of boys aged 13-15 years old use e-cigarettes.
