Bulgaria considers relaxing smoking ban

Bulgaria’s ruling party, the BSP, is working on a proposal to ease the country’s ban on tobacco smoking in public places, according to a Standart News story.

Standart said the most likely outcome would see smoking permitted in bars but banned in offices.

The BSP party leader, Sergey Stanishev, is said to have made a promise to the voters in his constituency of Stara Zagora that the full ban would be lifted.

The plan is said to have the support of nationalist Ataka MPs, who had already submitted a draft proposal for the elimination of the smoking ban.

They argue that the ban has put thousands of people out of work without reducing smoking.

Bulgaria has never seemed completely at ease with its smoking ban, but any move to relax it is likely to be met with fierce opposition from the EU.