Smoking bans
Smoking Bans
Smoking is not permitted in public buildings, be them governmental or local, public buildings or companies, in markets, in public transport, in hospitals or any medical facilities, in schools and universities, and in any other educational related place, in railway stations, airports or bus stations, enclosed spaces at work, or any other place that is mentioned in the law, with the sole exception of the places especially prevailed for this thing.
Romania is not yet aligned to the European standards, and this is the reason, why smoking in public places is not yet banned. But with entering the EU, and with the new laws being passed the life of the current smoker, king of the street and of all buildings is about to end
Don't be caught unawares by the law and don't stop only when you get a big fine. Take a stand and change things while you're still in control.
Law in other countries
Austria
smoking is prohibited at the work place in rooms where there are smokers and non-smokers, if the non-smokers can't be given an adequate protection through ventilation. Smoking is prohibited in government buildings, educational institutions and cinemas.
Belgium
In 1976 smoking was prohibited in public means of transportation. Smoking is prohibited in many public places and limited in bars and restaurants. Restaurants are obliged to install ventilation systems and devices for filtering the smoke.
Denmark
There are some restrictions regarding smoking in public places, but it is not yet banned, in clubs, discos, cinemas, public buildings, schools etc.
Finland
The restrictions regarding smoking at the work place have been voluntary until march 1995, when the Law regarding control over tobacco has been reformulated and it prohibited smoking in all public buildings. The laws offer the employers two possibilities: either they strictly prohibit smoking, or they allow it in specially designed rooms with separate ventilation systems and lower air pressure than in building where there is no smoking. The law that prohibits smoking at the work place has decreased the number of smokers. A recent study shows that by passing a law about smoking in the work place, in march 1995, Finland has significantly reduced smoking. Researchers at the Finish Institute Of Work Hygiene discovered that the occurrence of smoking has dropped from 29,6% to 25%, significant both for men and women. The average number of cigarettes smoked per day dropped from 19 to 16, and, also, there was a drop in the level of air pollution with nicotine in the work places in industry and official environments. The Finish syndicates added that a recent change in the law, regarding limitation of smoking in restaurants and cafes "has resulted in significantly decreased exposure to tobacco smoke from the working environment of tens of thousands of employees from the catering industry."
France
Smoking is prohibited at the work place, except for private offices. In bars and restaurants there are restrictions regarding smoking.
Germany
In Germany there are regulations which protect the non-smoker employees, but these do not include restaurants and bars. Germany makes the rules about smoking at the work place harsher. The federal cabinet of Germany approved the regulation that restricts smoking at the work place, which would cause "a significant improvement" of non-smokers' rights, according to the Federal Ministry of Health. Approximately two weeks after the official publication, the new regulation will come in force, and the employers "will have to take the necessary means in order to ensure the non-smoker employees a working environment where they would not be exposed to the harmful tobacco smoke." The regulation will not include restaurants, bars and a few other places open to public. Until the late 1990's, Germany did not have regulations against smoking at the work place. In that period a vaguely formulated regulation was approved, but it proved difficult to impose. As a result, smoking is still permitted in many offices, a thing which will change once the new rules are passed.
Greece
smoking in public places is prohibited in many places. In cafes, bars and restaurants there must be spaces designated to non-smokers. The nation with the greatest number of smokers in Europe, Greece, has changed the regulation regarding smoking in public. Strict rules have been imposed that prohibit smoking in many public places.
Ireland
Starting from January 2004, the work places from Ireland, including bars and restaurants, have to introduce rules about prohibiting smoking within a year.
In Ireland there will be no smoking at the work place. The minister of health, Micheal Martin announced this decision together with the presentation of a report about effects of passive smoking at the work place. Also, he offered details about plans of introducing new strict anti-tobacco regulations which will completely forbid smoking at all the work places. These have come into force at the beginning of 2004. The report, put together by a group of experts from the Office of Tobacco Control and the Health and Safety Authority demanded the complete prohibition of smoking at the work place, including bars and restaurants. The report sustains, with no avail, that the exposure to tobacco smoke from the environment is a great factor in developing cancer and other severe health issues.
Holland
Smoking is banned in public places. IN 2002 a judge decided that the interdiction includes the facilities that provide the supply of goods in the buildings that are under subvention. Also, according to this new law that was passed in January 2004, each company must assure a working environment that is not exposed to smoke for its employees. In this law bars and restaurants are also included. Another judge extends the interdiction to the facilities that provide the supply of goods in the public buildings.
For the 1st time in Holland a judge decided that smoking can be banned in buildings that are under subvention and that have facilities for catering, such as theaters, museums, libraries and swimming pools. This was the result of a complaint made by the Association of non-smokers against a cultural center in Oudewater with a nearby canteen.
In the formulation of the verdict, the Judge declared that banning smoking from public places that are specified by the legislation also apply to the institutes that have a subvention from public founds. The facilities deployed for catering in these buildings also apply to this rule. According to the Judge's decision, the cultural center form Klepper from Oudewater must introduce within 3 months an interdiction regarding smoking. For the institutes that have a subvention and buildings with bars or other facilities deployed for the supply of goods, the judge's verdict can have long term consequences. M. Witte, a lawyer from Amersfoort who represents non-smokers with complaints against the tobacco industry is expected to solve a lot of similar cases. For example, any person who acts in court against a public pool who also has a bar has a guaranteed success.
Norway
Smoking in public place is banned since January 2004. The interdiction includes restaurants and bars, in order to protect the waiters and the people who serve at the table. Norway already has some of the most strict rules concerning anti-smoking in the world, and smoking in public places, at eating places or in public transport was outlawed since 1988.Acording to the government the main motive that is behind these restrictions is the protection of guests and personnel. Before the interdiction's were introduced, the bars and restaurants in Norway had to have separated places for non-smokers. Norway is already one of the societies with some of the most strict rules concerning smoking from Europe, with the interdiction of smoking in all public offices and buildings. At this moment, in bars, restaurants, coffee shops and hotels there are especially made places for smokers, although the government sustains that over 30% of the local authorities do not perform regular inspections of these buildings. The proposal was advanced because of insistent pressure coming from the syndicate of restaurants workers, who sustain that the incidence of pulmonary cancer among it's members is higher than in any other professions because of passive smoking. In general, according to the declaration of the Ministry of Health, every year in Norway there are recorded around 300 and 500 deaths because of passive smoking.
Italy
until recently, smoking was banned in most public places, but not in restaurants and bars. The government has recently announced that the ones who will ignore interdiction's regarding smoking in places such as cinemas, hospitals, offices, schools, busses airports risk receiving fines between 25 and 250 euro. The Italian police applies the anti-smoking law. In Italy the policy has spread out public announcements in order to impose a new law that bans smoking from public places, including bars and restaurants. Special police teams sent hundreds of fines to smokers. According to the new laws that come into effect this year, the lawbreakers will receive fines up to 250 euros. Fines can get twice as large if smoking is done in the presence of a child or a pregnant woman. Restaurants owners and bar owners will receive fines up to 3000 euros if they will not manage to impose the new law.
