Jump to full article: Monsters and Critics, 2009-07-01
Author: Christine Pirovolakis (News Feature) - Monsters and Critics
Intro: Greece introduced a ban on smoking in public places on Wednesday - its third attempt in a decade to stamp out the habit in the country considered one of the last bastions of smoking in the European Union.
Anyone caught lighting up will now be subject to a 1,000 euros (1,400 dollars) fine, whilst establishments that do not comply with the new regulations risk losing licences.
Britain, Ireland, France, Germany and other EU states have already introduced public smoking bans.
But, considering Greece's patchy track record for implementing new laws, there seems to be no guarantee the new law, with allows for some loopholes and is unpopular with the public, will succeed.
Similar laws introduced in 2002 and 2003 went largely unheeded in a country where nearly 45 per cent of adults smoke and where puffing on cigarettes in offices and cafes is seen as a traditional pastime.
'In Greece we are used to saying that laws are passed but not enforced,' Health Minister Dimitris Avramopoulos said.
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