De-shadowing of the e-cigarette market: ESBU strengthens dialogue with business and the public

 Pavlo Buzdyhan, Deputy Director of the Economic Security Bureau of Ukraine, met with representatives of non-governmental organizations, business associations, and trade unions. They discussed effective mechanisms for the de-shadowing of the electronic cigarette and e-liquid market.

Participants of the event presented their own assessments of the market state, the scale of the shadow segment, and key trends for 2025, as well as outlined risks to the state budget. Special attention was paid to the negative impact of illicit trade on legitimate businesses and existing legislative loopholes that facilitate tax evasion.

Pavlo Buzdyhan emphasized the importance of feedback from business and the public, highlighting StopShadowBot—an ESBU tool for receiving information, systematically processing inquiries, and providing prompt responses to risks.

Following the discussion, the parties agreed on further cooperation, information exchange, and the development of proposals to improve legislation in the field of e-cigarette circulation.

The meeting was attended by representatives of the Business Ombudsman Council of Ukraine, the American Chamber of Commerce in Ukraine (AmCham), the European Business Association (EBA), the German-Ukrainian Chamber of Industry and Commerce (AHK Ukraine), the Ukrtvutiun Association, the All-Ukrainian Association of the E-cigarette Market, Kantar Ukraine and Pro-Consulting, the Institute for Social and Economic Transformation, the Ukrainian Institute of Legal Policy, the «Life» Center for Civic Representation, the Centre for Democracy and Rule of Law (CEDEM), the Centre for Economic Strategy (CES), and the Anti-Corruption Headquarters.

The systematic dialogue between the ESBU, business, and the public promotes effective countermeasures against the illicit trade of e-cigarettes and their liquids while protecting the state's economic interests.