Czechs plan to shed ‘Chimney of Europe’ tag with smoking ban
By Bloomberg
The Czech Republic, the last European Union member to still allow unrestricted smoking in restaurants, is preparing to outlaw the practice, the health minister said.
Support for the ban is rising in the country of 10.5 million, where restaurants aren’t required to separate smokers from nonsmokers, Health Minister Svatopluk Nemecek said in e- mailed response to questions. A bill drafted by his ministry may be debated in parliament as early as April.
“Czech society is definitely more ready than at any other time before,” said Nemecek, who took over the ministry in January 2014. “I believe the political situation is also favorable.”
The ministry’s bill seeks to outlaw smoking not only in restaurants but also at concerts, dance clubs and other public spaces. In its current form, the ban would also apply to electronic and herbal cigarettes, increase penalties for serving alcohol to minors and oblige restaurants and bars to offer at least one non-alcoholic drink cheaper than beer.
Opponents of the bill, including members of the ruling coalition ANO party that submitted a rival draft, argue that the proposed ban is too strict. ANO’s version focuses strictly on banning smoking tobacco in restaurants and bars.
Public Support
More than 80 percent of Czechs want the state to tighten smoking regulations, according to last year’s survey by STEM/MARK pollster.
“It pains me to hear my country described as the chimney of Europe,” Jiri Hlavaty, the owner of Czech textile company Juta who also serves in the country’s Senate, said by phone. “We’re completely out of sync with the rest of the EU.”
Previous attempts to pass a stricter anti-smoking measure have failed, the result of strong lobbying from the local tobacco industry, according to Kristina Mauer-Stender, a program manager for tobacco control at the World Health Organization.
“It’s been a long process that has so far amounted to virtually nothing,” Mauer-Stender said by phone. “The current law is weak, and enforcement is also weak.”
The Czech unit of Philip Morris International Inc., one of 13 companies listed on the Prague bourse, didn’t respond to repeated requests for comment.
“I’m sure the law draft has already activated the tobacco lobby, which will undoubtedly do its utmost to support the business,” Nemecek said. “I hope parliament will resist those pressures and protect public health.”