Parliamentarians ignore their own law on banning smoking in public places

Five laws banning tobacco smoking in public places have been introduced during the past 10 years only to be largely ignored by Greek smokers; so the government has vowed to impose yet another crackdown, according to a story in the Greek Reporter quoting a Kathimerini newspaper report.

The Health Ministry’s general secretary, Christina Papanikolaou, has issued a circular calling for the intensification of checks at schools, hospitals, restaurants, bars and nightclubs by inspectors in charge of the implementation of a law introduced in 2010.

The new wave of inspections is expected to meet with opposition from entrepreneurs who argue that business, already hit by the financial crisis, will be further affected if the smoking ban is enforced strictly.

In November 2012, the Council of State ruled that the ban was in keeping with Greek law and the Constitution after 150 entrepreneurs and the Panhellenic Federation of Restaurants and Related Professions filed an appeal against it.

Despite that, the law continues to be ignored. Public workers, including those in post offices and government buildings, as well as police, doctors and bus drivers continue to smoke without the fear of their being fined.

Members of parliament also openly smoke in the building where they passed the ban, ignoring their own law.