EU tables proposal to ban smoking in all public places

Following a trend towards public smoking bans led by Scotland, Ireland, Italy and Sweden, with France, Finland and Estonia to follow suit in the near future, the European Commission has begun discussing a draft proposal for blanket regulations on smoking in all EU member states. If the stricter version of the draft is passed, smoking could be banned in all public places throughout Hungary.

Health Commissioner Markos Kyprianou had initiated the draft which will discuss two versions of the ban. The stricter one would forbid smoking in all closed workplaces and public spaces where people stand or sit close to each other, including areas near the entrance of buildings and sports stadia, as well as bus stops and train and subway stations. The other, more lenient (and, according to Kyprianou, "less effective") proposal would allow exception in some public spaces, for example, at bars where food is not served.

In a country where more than a third of the total population of all ages smokes, a statistic backed by the world's worst lung cancer figures, EU interference is unlikely to be received positively.

During the debate that starts on Tuesday, Brussels will also decide what strategy to follow in the fight against smoking. It is possible that the current system will be kept, or that new laws will be introduced.

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