Watch: how Europe regulates added sugars
SugarWatch Europe follows the laws, taxes, court cases and voluntary commitments that decide how much sugar Europeans are offered. This page lists the files we follow most closely and where each one stands.
What we watch
- Taxes: levies on sugary drinks and, increasingly, on sugary foods.
- Labelling: front-of-pack nutrition labels such as Nutri-Score, and nutrient profiles.
- Marketing to children: television, online and influencer advertising for foods high in sugar.
- Food for babies and young children: composition rules for infant formula and baby food.
- Voluntary commitments: what industry pledges on sugar reduction, and whether it delivers.
- Markets and trade: the EU sugar market, the Common Agricultural Policy and trade agreements.
Files we follow (status at 30 October 2026)
| File | Where | Status | Next step |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tax on sugar-sweetened beverages | Germany | Draft law approved by the federal cabinet on 14 October 2026, with two rates based on sugar content from 5 g per 100 ml. | Bundestag vote; planned start 1 July 2027 |
| Extension of the sugary drinks levy to sugary foods (Social Security budget 2027, Article 8) | France | Deleted by the National Assembly on 22 October 2026, by 86 votes to 58. | Senate debate, November 2026 |
| Ban on added sugars in food for infants and young children | France | Bill adopted unanimously by the National Assembly on 26 March 2026. | Senate debate, date not set; planned entry into force 1 January 2028 |
| Tax on sugar-sweetened beverages | Italy | Created by the 2020 budget law and postponed repeatedly; now due on 1 January 2027. A further postponement is being discussed. | 2027 budget law, December 2026 |
| Excise duty on sweetened drinks | Lithuania | In force since 1 January 2026. | Lithuania holds the EU Council presidency from 1 January 2027 |
| Sugar-based tax on soft drinks | Netherlands | The government plans to replace the flat-rate soft drinks tax with a tax based on sugar content (letter to Parliament, 12 June 2026). | Draft law and timetable |
| Digital Fairness Act | EU | Commission proposal planned for the fourth quarter of 2026, including influencer marketing and the protection of minors online. | Commission proposal |
| Audiovisual Media Services Directive | EU | Under evaluation. The current text relies on codes of conduct for advertising foods high in fat, salt and sugar around children’s programmes. | Commission evaluation report, due by 19 December 2026 |
| Front-of-pack nutrition labelling and Nutri-Score | EU | The harmonised label announced by the Commission in 2020 has not been proposed. On 16 June 2026, France’s Council of State referred a Nutri-Score case to the EU Court of Justice. | Court of Justice ruling |
| Suspension of inward processing for raw cane sugar | EU | Duty-free imports of raw cane sugar for refining suspended from 27 May 2026 to 27 May 2027. | Commission review of its effects, November 2026 |
| “3 by 35” initiative | WHO | Launched in July 2025: raise the real prices of tobacco, alcohol and sugary drinks by at least 50% by 2035 through taxes. | Uptake by EU Member States |
Where the main files stand
Each file below is shown as a sequence of steps: the steps already taken, the step where the file stands now, and the steps still to come. Status at 2 November 2026.
- Done
- Now or next
- Still to come
A sugar tax adopted in 2019 and never applied
The 2020 budget law created a tax of €10 per hectolitre on sweetened soft drinks. Its start date has been pushed back every year since. Each date below was a planned start that never happened.
- 1 Jan 2021
- 1 Jan 2022
- 1 Jan 2023
- 1 Jan 2024
- 1 Jul 2024
- 1 Jul 2025
- 1 Jan 2026
- 1 Jan 2027
- 1 Jul 2027?
The ninth postponement, to 1 July 2027, is in the 2027 budget bill approved by the government on 28 October 2026. Parliament still has to vote on it.
Sources: Il Sole 24 Ore Radiocor, 31 October 2026; IPSOA, 10 November 2025; Fanpage.
Tax on sugar-sweetened drinks
- Bundestag passes the health insurance law that provides for the tax
- Federal cabinet adopts the draft: €0.26 or €0.32 per litre
- NextBundestag vote, as an amendment to the 2027 budget accompanying law
- Planned start of the tax
Sources: Federal Ministry of Finance, 14 October 2026; Börsen-Zeitung; MS-Aktuell, 16 October 2026.
Extending the soda tax to sugary foods (2027 social security budget, article 8)
- Government tables the budget bill
- Assemblée nationale deletes article 8
- Assemblée rejects the revenue part: the original text goes to the Senate
- NextSenate examines the government's text, article 8 included
- Joint committee of deputies and senators
- Deadline for Parliament to adopt the budget
Sources: NosParlementaires, PLFSS 2027 calendar; franceinfo; LSA.
Bill on added sugars in food for babies and young children (Isaac-Sibille bill)
- Bill tabled at the Assemblée nationale
- Examined in committee
- Adopted by the Assemblée nationale
- Sent to the Senate
- NextSenate examination
Source: Sénat, bill n° 484 (2025-2026).
Widening the Soft Drinks Industry Levy
- Levy comes into force
- Rates raised for the first time, now indexed every April
- Budget: threshold lowered to 4.5 g and milk-based drinks brought in
- NowDraft legislation published; technical consultation closed on 6 September
- Changes take effect
Sources: GOV.UK, levy changes; GOV.UK, levy rates.
See every country at a glance on our map of Europe by country.
How we work
- We rely on primary sources first: official journals, parliamentary records, Commission documents and court rulings.
- We follow lobbying through public registers: the EU Transparency Register, the French HATVP register and the German Bundestag lobby register.
- Every status on this page is dated. We review the page at least once a month and report new developments in our Newsroom.
See also: Stakeholder positions · Map of actors · Lobbying weight · Sugar & Health Index (EU-27)
SugarWatch Europe
An independent observatory of sugar policy in the EU. Non-profit association under French law.
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