Europe strives to abandon smoking with help of law

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Monday, January 05, 2004

Europe strives to abandon smoking with help of law

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With the start of the new year, smokers across Europe starts their fight against the addiction: throw away unopened pack of cigarettes, hide their lighters and go out of the way to avoid people who continue to light.

Anti-smoking laws are playing a major role in this campaign. Inthe Netherlands, the resolutely-minded are given an extra boost of encouragement to stop smoking for all time as a series of strict new anti-smoking laws make cigarette breaks virtually impossible. So far some 850,000 Dutch have pledged to kick the habit in 2004.

The new legislation prohibits smoking in public places and on public transport, in taxis and at bus and train stations, as well as at the workplace.

Employees will only be allowed to smoke in special rooms equipped with extractor fans. Although employers are not obligated to provide for such arrangements, those who permit workers to smoke in offices face fines ranging from 300 to 2,400 euros.

The law also bans smoking in areas such as stairs, hallways, conference rooms, cafeterias and toilets. Hotels, bars, restaurants and international trains, however, have won a temporary reprieve to permit smoking, but only on condition that they find a compromise by 2005.

Across Europe, enjoying a cigarette is becoming increasingly difficult as governments consider implementing anti-smoking legislation.

Sweden has already passed a tough anti-smoking law that will gointo effect in 2005, and Ireland is also on the verge of passing aban similar to the one in the Netherlands. Great Britain is deliberating a crack down on smoking in public spaces, but after aheated round of debate from the country's pub owners, the government has decided to postpone any decision until later in 2004.

But in Germany, the government has been accused of taking too soft a stance on smoking in public places.

EU Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection David Byrne has said that Germany is not doing enough to fight nicotine addiction. It is estimated that 100,000 Germans die of smoking-related diseases every year.

Next to Spain and Greece, Germany has the highest rate of smokers in Europe. Statistics collected by the federal health ministry also show that while smoking declines in the rest of Europe, the number of smokers in Germany stays relatively constant.

But even more alarming, the starting age for first-time smokersis dropping. As of 2003, every third ninth grader smoked.

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