Controversial smoking ban
EU Parliament rejects more smoke-free zones outdoors
The EU Commission wanted to protect citizens from damage to their health by banning smoking. She received a shitstorm for this. But the last word has not yet been spoken.
The EU Parliament has not agreed on a joint declaration on possible outdoor smoking bans. Corresponding motions did not find a majority in Strasbourg, as the European Parliament announced.
In September, the EU Commission recommended that states expand smoke-free zones – for example to outdoor leisure areas for children such as public playgrounds, amusement parks and outdoor pools as well as public buildings, bus stops and train station areas. This should not only apply to classic tobacco products, but also to new products such as e-cigarettes. The aim is to protect people from secondhand smoke and reduce the number of cancer deaths.
“Every year, tobacco consumption claims 700,000 lives in the EU, including tens of thousands from passive smoking,” writes the EU Commission. The goal of the smoke-free environment recommendations is to express the agency’s strong determination to better protect people from exposure to secondhand smoke and aerosols.
Final decision on smoking ban is pending
The EU Commission is not alone with this agenda. Even outside the European Union, the fight against smoking is becoming increasingly fierce. In Great Britain, for example, a strict anti-tobacco law recently cleared the first hurdle in parliament. Among other things, the draft stipulates that everyone born after January 1, 2009 will never be allowed to legally buy cigarettes in their lives. In addition, sweet flavors for e-cigarettes should be restricted and their packaging revised to make them less attractive to children and young people.
The member states are expected to make a decision on the EU Commission’s recommendation next week. The outcome of the vote in the EU Parliament has no impact on this.
Even if the Brussels authority’s proposal is accepted, it does not automatically mean that such smoking bans will be implemented everywhere. The reason is that the member states are responsible for health policy. The EU Commission’s recommendation is therefore not legally binding. The now failed declaration by the EU Parliament would not have had a binding effect either.
DPA
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Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
