Tag: Czech Republic

  • Ban needs clarification

    Ban needs clarification

    The Czech Republic’s Ministry of Health is planning an information campaign this autumn to clarify questions surrounding a ban on tobacco smoking in pubs and restaurants, according to a Radio Prague story quoting a Czech News Agency report.

    The ban came into effect at the end of May and a three-month period in which establishments were given time to adapt to the new legislation was due to end today.

    One problem that remains unresolved concerns the interpretation of the ban as it applies to beer gardens and outdoor covered areas.

    But observers say that the winter months – when going outside to smoke might become unpleasant – will be the real test of the ban.

  • HNB status unclear

    HNB status unclear

    Two months after a smoking ban came into effect in pubs and restaurants in the Czech Republic, smokers are getting acquainted with heat-not-burn (HNB) products that they might be able to use in public places, according to a Radio Prague story.

    The Czech authorities have yet to classify heat-not-burn products, which contain but do not burn tobacco, and that deliver nicotine in a vapor rather than in smoke.

    “What is important is that the tobacco does not burn –it is merely heated to 300 degrees Celsius which means that there is no smoke and no ash, and you cannot smell it as much as normal cigarettes,” Philip Morris’ Klára Jirovcová Pospíšilová was quoted as saying.

    Radio Prague said that HNBs first appeared on the Czech market in 1988, but that they were not a commercial success.

    ‘At the time, they were no match for the classic cigarette, but with tough anti-smoking laws in force around Europe, tobacco companies are hoping HNBs will see new opportunities opening up,’ Radio Prague reported.

    ‘Some countries in Europe, such as Poland, Hungary and Spain, have already issued a tough ban on HNBs, putting them on par with regular cigarettes, but others like the Czech Republic have yet to lay down the rules for these products.’

    The Czech Health Ministry says the smoking ban should apply to HNBs, but others claim that under Czech law they would fall into the same category as electronic cigarettes, which are not banned in pubs and restaurants.

    Meanwhile, it has not been decided at the EU level how to tax HNB tobacco products and the Czech Finance Ministry has yet to address the issue.

    For the time being, HNBs are exempted from consumer tax in the Czech Republic, which gives them an enormous advantage over traditional cigarettes.

    An amendment to Czech law is expected to clarify the status of HNBs by 2019.

  • Czech Republic approves ban on smoking in restaurants, bars

    The Czech government has approved a draft bill that will ban smoking in bars and restaurants. Previous governments have attempted to enact the same restrictions but ran into opposition, leaving the Czech Republic as the last EU member to allow unrestricted smoking in restaurants. One quarter of Czechs smoke, according to Eurobarometer.

    “With this law, the Czech Republic will embark on a path where the majority of advanced western European countries have gone a long time ago,” said health minister Svatopluk Nemecek, after the center-left cabinet approved the measure. The draft bill must still pass parliament before it can be signed into law by President Milos Zeman.

    Seventeen of the 28 EU states have a total ban on smoking in indoor public places, public transport and workplaces, and many other member states have restrictions on smoking in various places.

    In addition to bars and restaurants, the proposed legislation would also ban smoking—including the use of e-cigarettes—at concerts and indoor entertainment and sports facilities.

    The bill also includes a provision that requires bars and restaurants to offer at least one non-alcoholic drink on their menu at a price that is cheaper than the cheapest alcoholic drink.