The President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, approved on 31 July 2020, new amendments to the Tobacco Control Law, aiming to harmonize the regulation of tobacco and other nicotine products. Although the amendments acknowledge that there are different types of nicotine-releasing technologies involved, they are all treated in the same manner as traditional tobacco products.

Effective from 1 October 2020, all tobacco products in the Netherlands will be produced in neutral (plain) packaging as a standard, following the growing list of Parties that have already adopted such an important measure.

Each cigarette manufacturer determines its own price that consumers pay in stores for a pack of cigarettes. This price is always printed on the pack. That is different from almost any other consumer product, for which the retailer determines the price. For cigarettes, all manufacturers send their new price lists to wholesalers and other buyers several weeks before the prices in stores are adjusted. This allows them to start adjusting their sales systems.