About the BVTE

Who we are

The German Association of the Tobacco Industry and New Products – Bundesverband der Tabakwirtschaft und neuartiger Erzeugnisse (BVTE) was founded on 2 September 2019.

The association represents and promotes the interests of the entire value chain across all smoking and vaping products as well as  tobacco and nicotine products for oral use.

  • the manufacturers, suppliers and distributors of traditional tobacco products such as cigarettes, fine-cut/smoking tobacco, chewing tobacco, snuff, tobacco for oral use, cigars/cigarillos, pipe and water pipe tobacco, and their associations
  • the manufacturers, suppliers and distributors of new and (potentially) reduced-risk tobacco and nicotine products such as heated tobacco products and e-cigarettes, including the associated tobacco and/or the refills as well as nicotine-free products for vaping or other forms of consumption
  • the associations and businesses of related industries from tobacco cultivation, tobacco trade and retail, the advertising and packaging industry, the mechanical engineering sector, logistics, the trade show sector and other enterprises connected with the tobacco industry and their associations

The BVTE represents businesses that generate more that 50% of their revenues from traditional retailing of cigarettes, fine-cut, e-vaping and heated tobacco products. The market share of cigarettes and fine-cut is about 60% respectively.

Our background

The German tobacco and nicotine industry is currently going through a major transitional phase.

Greater Increasing health awareness, new social attitudes and the rapid development of new technologies have ensured that there is now a large selection of new products alongside the traditional tobacco products. Both the manufacturers and the connecting industries are in part organised in organisations that will continue to function as before.

Despite the diversity of the products, there are many general, branch-specific, business interests common to all and it is these that will be represented by the new BVTE association and its strong alliance.

In Germany there are currently 15 million smokers, 1.8 million of whom use e-cigarettes or heated tobacco products.

Our goals and messages

  • The BVTE ist the powerful, united voice of the industry.
  • Whether as a manufacturer, retailer, supplier or partner, the BVTE secures a common future. We want to secure and carry continue stable business models for all of us.
  • The BVTE will therefore represent our interests in German politics in an integrative way and for all product categories.
  • The BVTE meets current and future challenges more efficiently and effectively than a monothematic association.
  • The BVTE fights resolutely for regulation on a scientific evidence basic, especially at the national level, but also in Brussels.
  • The consumers’ freedom of choice is the basic rule of the BVTE. All products are equal. We reaffirm the principle of consumer freedom of choice, i.e. we do not give consumers instructions on the choice of their products. The BVTE is committed to ensuring that there will continue to be a variety of different products which satisfy the diverse needs of consumers. We promote innovation and new products on the market.
  • We will not support any regulation that would provide a competitive advantage to individual market participants.
  • We will provide fact-based information on our products and their risks to health, including the risk reduction potential of novel products.
  • We are committed to an appropriate product regulatory framework for traditional tobacco products, e-cigarettes and novel products based on recognised technical standards and scientific facts.
  • We continue to advocate differentiated taxation of the various product categories.
  • We advocate regulation and taxation according to harm reduction, i.e. the less harmful a product is, the less it should be regulated and taxed. We reject further tightening of regulation for cigarettes and fine-cut tobacco and consider these categories to be finally regulated.
  • Stricter protection of children and minors is a special concern of the BVTE.
  • We disapprove of any further restrictions on advertising.