The Parliament of Ukraine (the Rada) adopted, on 16 December 2021, the act “On amendments to some laws of Ukraine on the protection of public health from the harmful effects of tobacco” that amends previous acts regulating tobacco control. This includes the 2005 act “On Measures to Prevent and Reduce the Use of Tobacco Products and Their Harmful Impact on Public Health”, which was already amended last time in 2012.

The new act, Law № 1978-IX, was signed by the President on 6 January 2022.

The following measures are now being introduced in the country through the adoption of this new legislation:
– banning of use of all tobacco products in all enclosed public places, including novel and emerging tobacco products;
– banning of all forms of advertising, promotion and sponsorship, including for heated tobacco products, devices, e-cigarettes, containers and liquids. Unfortunately, a point-of-sale ban is not included in the act; nevertheless, these measures represent a significant step forward in tobacco control;
– increasing the size of pictorial health warnings to 65% of the front and back of tobacco packages, and requiring 30% pictorial health warnings for novel products;
– banning the use of flavours, including in conventional and novel tobacco products;
– banning the sales of novel tobacco products to minors; and
– increasing fines for the violation of measures under this law, as well as stronger enforcement regime through the Food Safety and Consumer Protection Service.

Through this act, Ukraine has moved to align its tobacco control policies with the Tobacco Products Directive of the European Union. Some of these elements include definitions of tobacco, nicotine, measures to disclose the contents and emissions of tobacco products, and maximum emission levels for tar, nicotine, carbon-monoxide and others.

For more information, please, contact Svitlana Illinova, Public Health Department of the Ministry of Health (svetlanaandreevna050@gmail.com).