Governance
The Federal Association of the Tobacco Industry and Novel Products (BVTE) represents and promotes the interests of the entire value chain of the smoking, vaping and oral tobacco and nicotine industry across all products vis-à-vis politicians, the media and the public.
The BVTE and its members are committed to an appropriate set of product regulations for traditional tobacco products, e-cigarettes and novel products based on recognised technical standards and scientific facts.
For the BVTE, transparency is a fundamental element of responsible lobbying. The association is registered in the 
lobby register for the representation of interests vis-à-vis the German Bundestag and the Federal Government as well as in the EU's transparency register and the registers for lobby groups in individual federal states. The BVTE has thus also accepted codes of conduct that contain guidelines for exercising the interests of special groups based on the principles of openness, transparency, honesty and integrity.
The BVTE generally agrees with the publication of its opinions on legislative proposals by ministries and in the context of parliamentary hearings and welcomes the fact that this procedure will be generally applicable from 2024 with the amendment to the Lobby Register Act.
The regular publication of discussions with the tobacco industry at ministerial level ( e.g. BMEL = Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture) also ensures a level of transparency in the representation of interests that goes well beyond existing legal obligations. The BVTE also supports members of parliament who disclose contacts with lobbyists in the exercise of their free mandate.
BVTE members are convinced that very high standards of corporate governance are critical to sustainability. All members have a range of governance structures and practices in place to ensure that the company is managed responsibly, transparently and in the best interests of its stakeholders. Information on the governance structures, codes of conduct and business guidelines of the individual members can be found below: