Lithuania tops the list<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nThe Baltic country is the only EU member state to ban the sale of alcohol to people under 20. Its legislation also strictly regulates sales hours, prohibiting sales before 10:00 a.m. and after 8:00 p.m. (3:00 p.m. on Sundays).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The country’s trade is also affected by rules restricting alcohol, with a complete ban on alcohol advertising in all forms, including imported magazines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Like neighboring Latvia, it has also restricted energy drinks, banning their sale to those under 18 since 2015.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Smoking is no exception to the country\u2019s strict rules.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In addition to a complete ban on advertising and sponsorship of e-cigarettes in the media, smoking is banned on all balconies and terraces of apartment buildings where at least one resident opposes smoking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The report says that \u201cmunicipalities in large cities report that few people have been fined.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The strictest country<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nTurkey, the country the report describes as the \u201cstrictest\u201d of all, is the only one to have imposed a complete ban on e-cigarettes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cTurkey has declared war on alcohol and nicotine,\u201d the report says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cElectronic cigarettes and vaping products are completely banned, although a form of snuff (\u2018enfiye\u2019) is legal and nicotine pouches are not explicitly banned.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cCigarettes must be sold in plain packaging, tobacco cannot be displayed in shops and cigarette vending machines are banned,\u201d the report explains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The UK with high taxes<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nThe UK, ranked seventh overall, has the toughest stance on tobacco, with a tax of \u20ac411 per kilogram.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
England has already banned cigarette vending machines since 2011, while in less than two years, the UK will ban everyone born in 2009 or later from buying tobacco. Lithuania has the highest score among EU countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Also, in October 2025, a ban on advertising \u201cless healthy\u201d foods on television before 9 p.m. and at all times online will come into effect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Restrictions on unhealthy foods<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nWhen it comes to unhealthy foods and drinks, however, Hungary tops the list as the country with the strictest restrictions, ranking second in anti-smoking measures and third in measures discouraging the use of so-called safer nicotine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Following the introduction of the Public Health Products Tax \u2013 also known as the \u201cchip tax\u201d \u2013 in 2011, it now has the most extensive taxation on food and drinks, targeting products such as pre-cooked pasta, sweets, sugary drinks, savoury snacks and condiments \u2013 on top of the standard VAT rate of 27%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some examples? An additional \u20ac2.04 per kilo of jam or \u20ac1.02 per kilo or litre of condiments and savoury snacks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cA ban on the sale of energy drinks to under-18s seems likely by 2025,\u201d the report adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNo paternalistic policies in Germany\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nWith some of the lowest taxes on beer, spirits and cigarettes, Germany, the report says, is \u201cthe best country to drink, smoke, vape and eat in the EU.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Only three of Germany\u2019s 16 states have a total ban on smoking in public places \u2013 Bavaria, North Rhine-Westphalia and Saarland \u2013 while the others have restrictions based on the size of the premises, the status of the establishment and whether or not food is served.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are no specific restrictions on food and drinks, and there is no tax on sugar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, there is a tax on e-liquid, which is expected to increase to \u20ac0.32 in 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nicotine pouches are also \u201cde facto\u201d banned because they are classified as food, and food cannot contain nicotine in Germany.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As for food and soft drinks, the authorities have started to take steps to regulate them more healthily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a \u201cvoluntary agreement\u201d concluded with the government, certain companies will seek to \u201creformulate food products to achieve a reduction in sugar consumption of at least 10%.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Nanny State Index ranks European countries by how much they interfere in your lifestyle choices \u2014 from what you eat and drink to…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[818,390],"tags":[3773,3961,25,470,7073,7074,3913],"class_list":["post-24894","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-europe","category-politics","tag-alcohol","tag-cigarette","tag-eu","tag-europe","tag-fast-food","tag-nanny-state-index","tag-taxes"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.liberalglobe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24894","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.liberalglobe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.liberalglobe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.liberalglobe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.liberalglobe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=24894"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.liberalglobe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24894\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24896,"href":"https:\/\/www.liberalglobe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24894\/revisions\/24896"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.liberalglobe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=24894"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.liberalglobe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=24894"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.liberalglobe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=24894"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}