By Timothy S Donahue

Top Takeaways:

• Youth restriction: Serbia bans sale of e-cigarettes and nicotine products to minors
• Retail overhaul: New laws mandate real-time pricing updates and daily price disclosures
• E-commerce parity: Online platforms now face the same obligations as traditional retailers

Serbia is tightening control over nicotine sales while rolling out a broader overhaul of its retail and e-commerce rules—part of a new legislative package to strengthen consumer protection and market transparency.

The country’s parliament has adopted amendments to the Trade Law alongside a new law governing trade practices, introducing changes that will affect both nicotine products and the broader retail sector. At the center of the update is a clear restriction on access for youth.

The new framework bans the sale of e-cigarettes and other nicotine products to minors, aligning Serbia more closely with European regulatory trends aimed at curbing underage use of next-generation nicotine products.

The move builds on existing protections but formalizes the restriction to a broader category of products, including vaping devices and other nicotine products. Beyond nicotine, the legislation imposes sweeping transparency requirements on retailers.

Merchants will now be required to update price lists in real time whenever prices change, ensuring consumers receive accurate information at the point of sale—both in-store and online. The rules go further for larger operators.

Retail chains must publish their full price lists daily on their websites and on the government’s National Open Data Portal to enable public monitoring and make price comparisons across the market easier.

Officials say the goal is to improve price formation and reduce inconsistencies, especially in sectors where volatility and consumer complaints have risen. The reforms also target online commerce.

E-commerce platforms will now be subject to the same obligations as traditional brick-and-mortar retailers, including requirements for pricing transparency and compliance with consumer protection standards. That shift reflects the growing role of digital sales channels and aims to close regulatory gaps between physical and online marketplaces.

The amendments to the Trade Law further clarify key commercial definitions and practices, including how merchants are classified, how discounts must be displayed, and how “previous prices” are calculated—an area under increasing scrutiny across Europe.

The legislation also strengthens inspection and enforcement provisions, providing authorities with clearer oversight tools. In parallel, parliament adopted a separate law on trade practices for certain types of products.

While primarily focused on agricultural and food products, the law also extends to a broader set of consumer products, including household chemicals, personal hygiene items, cosmetics, and agricultural inputs such as fertilizers and plant-protection products.