Assembly delays new law on protection from smoking
Eight amendments and fresh requests for expert opinions, including from the tobacco industry, have stalled adoption of the bill originally due March 1.
The Assembly has delayed adoption of the new law on protection from smoking, pushing back an initial implementation date and leaving the bill stalled amid amendments and new requests for expert opinions.
Eight amendments and extra opinions stall the bill
The government originally planned for the law to take effect on March 1, but that timetable was pushed back by seven months and the proposal has not advanced. Lawmakers introduced a series of amendments during committee work; among them is a provision that would allow smoking rooms inside restaurants and cafés.
Health Minister Sasho Klekovski opposed those amendments, arguing they are unrealistic and create loopholes that would undermine the law's purpose of shielding citizens from tobacco smoke. "There are smoking rooms in some countries, but they have such technical and technological solutions — I would say with negative pressure — that we do not manage to achieve in our own operating rooms, let alone in a restaurant or other premises. I believe we had a productive dialogue with the Hospitality Chamber, we had a productive dialogue with other stakeholders and since we have their support, we consider this the optimal solution," the minister said.
Parliamentary committees say the eight amendments include requests for additional expert opinions, including analyses from domestic specialists and views from tobacco producers. A group of deputies also asked for the opinion of the World Health Organization; lawmakers say commission work will continue once the requested opinions arrive.
The draft law has already been altered several times, including a name change and the softening of some initially strict measures. Instead of a full ban on smoking in hospitality venues, the proposal now allows specially arranged terraces where smoking would be permitted — terraces must have two open sides, an open roof and a separate entrance for non-smokers.
The law does not prohibit production, import, export or sale of tobacco products and electronic devices; it regulates their use. A full indoor smoking ban is foreseen for enclosed spaces, bus and railway stations, and in a car if a child is present. Smoking in front of certain public institutions would be allowed only at least 20 metres away.
Health authorities say the aim of the new law is to protect citizens from the harmful effects of smoking and to reduce treatment costs.
Simona Petrovska
Photo: press material from the event
