September 2019

The Epicenter Nanny State Index is a league table of the best and worst places in the European Union to eat, drink, smoke and vape. Finland tops the table as the least free country. Germany is the freest country.

Nanny state legislation and taxation is on the rise in most EU countries. There has been a notable trend towards taxing soft drinks and e-cigarette fluid in the last two years. Vaping bans have also become more common.

English-speaking and Scandinavian countries tend to have the more draconian laws, with several Eastern European countries joining them recently. The wide gap between the freest and least free countries shows that most nanny state rules come from member states, not the EU.