Moldova advances health regulations and fiscal plans amid industry pushback

Moldova's Parliament has approved the first reading of a bill tightening tobacco controls, introducing updated health warnings and stricter reporting requirements for manufacturers of traditional and electronic cigarettes. Concurrently, tobacco giant Philip Morris faces scrutiny over its launch of nicotine pouches ahead of an impending statutory ban, leveraging legal ambiguities to prolong market presence.

In the fiscal arena, the non-alcoholic beverage industry has petitioned authorities to cancel a planned 2027 excise tax of 1.60 lei per liter on sweetened and energy drinks, citing potential price increases of up to 34 percent and job losses.

Separately, a Ministry of Health audit exposed systemic deficiencies at the Medicines and Medical Devices Agency, including over 1,200 unprocessed files and security flaws in state registries.

Sources: Moldova1, Newsmaker, Point, Ziarul de Gardă.