Restaurants want to hang on to smoke

Restaurant owners in Belgrade have voiced “concern” over the possibility that a restrictive law on smoking in public places could be adopted.

While in many European countries smoking in public places has been banned altogether, in Serbia, even the current law is not entirely respected.

Now the restaurant owners say they wish to see “more moderate legislation” enforced.

A new bill could by the end of this year outlaw tobacco smoke in cafes and restaurants in a country where one third of the adult population enjoys the nicotine.

The law would then allow them this pleasure only in their own homes, and in the streets.

While Serbians react with mixed opinions, the restaurant industry is about to launch an initiative they have dubbed, “Protection instead of prohibition”.

They suggest that Serbia adopts the so-called Spanish-Portuguese model, where the owner of a restaurant sized up to 100 sq meters could independently decide whether the space is banned for smoking, while larger ones would have separated smoking and non-smoking areas.

Long-time smokers support this initiative, saying that while a ban related to the workplace is acceptable, “the tavern is a place of personal choice”.

Even some experts who deal with tobacco processing technology are ready to admit that the tobacco smoke is bad for health, “but not as much as campaigns informing about it claim”.

A blanket ban on smoking indoors is currently enforced in four European countries, while others have gone for separated spaces, and special restaurants and cafes for smokers.

Source: B92