FULL PUBLIC SMOKING BAN MADE OFFICIAL

Full public smoking ban will be instituted everywhere in Bulgaria, embodying all restaurants, pubs, clubs, cafes and bars. The ban will be enforced officially as of June 1 2010, according to the final Cabinet decision which was approved in a second reading on Thursday, May 21, as part of projected amendments to health legislation.

The Cabinet rejected the proposal of the Turkish led Movement of Rights and Freedom (MRF), Ramadan Atalai, who suggested that the ban should be enacted as early as June 1 2009.

As part of the amendments, a special inspectorate task force will be established, under the medical inspection branch, which will be entrusted with ensuring that the ban is properly upheld.

The amendments to the Health Act, passed on second reading today, will be welcomed by a large section of the population, but it will inevitably draw flak from businessmen who fear that the new legislation would spell the end of their livelihoods and contribute to unemployment in Bulgaria, which would be highly undesirable during an economic downturn.

Tourist organisations, hotels and other industry-related enterprises have repeatedly stated that a thorough ban is unhealthy, and that a steady, systematic approach should be implemented first. "A gradual process rather than a complete ban is a lot more sensitive," said Blagoi Ragin, president of the Bulgarian Hotel and Restaurant Association (BHRA), as quoted by Bulgarian news agency BTA on April 16.

"Prohibition would squeeze the turnover of bars and restaurants by 30 per cent, and many of the smaller establishments will face collapse," Radin warned, as reported earlier by The Sofia Echo. "Bulgaria should combat smoking but should apply an integrated, comprehensive and reasonable approach instead of going to extremes," he said.

"Turnovers will slide down by 30-40 per cent; smaller restaurants would be better off closing down straight away," they said. "It would be far better if employers start paying bonuses to non-smoking workers," Ragin was quoted as saying by Standart daily.

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