• March 28, 2024

Move to relax Bulgaria’s smoking ban

Bulgaria seems once again to be questioning whether it should transform its enclosed-public-places tobacco-smoking ban into a restriction, the Focus News Agency has reported.

At present, the proposal seems little more than an idea thrown up by MP, Spas Panchev, though, according to the Focus report, Panchev claims to have the support of Prime Minister designate, Plamen Oresharski.

But Bulgaria has been here before. In December, Bulgaria’s then-Prime Minister, Boiko Borissov, hinted that he would not oppose a move under consideration by his ruling party MPs that would have seen the country’s public-places tobacco smoking ban eased to allow people to light up in restaurants and bars after 22.00 hours.

But the Health Minister, Desislava Atanasova, stood firm against the proposed amendment to Bulgaria’s anti-smoking law.

Bulgaria’s ban on smoking in enclosed public places came into effect at the beginning of June 2012.

The ban replaced previous restrictions that allowed restaurants and bars to set aside smoking areas with separate ventilation systems.