Parliament's turn

Smokers back in the EU’s sights

Smoking is harmful, and politicians want to reduce cigarettes and the like.

(Bild: ehabeljean/stock.adobe.com)

The ban on smoking in outdoor areas of cafés and similar establishments is now also being discussed in the EU Parliament. At the end of November, MEPs will discuss the Council's recommendation. A resolution is planned. Environmentalists, on the other hand, are targeting skiers who smoke. Thousands of cigarette butts litter the winter sports regions.

The EU Commission wants to recommend a controversial smoking ban in pubs to the member states. After the health ministers, the EU Parliament is now also addressing the issue and a resolution is currently being drafted.

EU Parliament plans resolution
MEPs are to vote on it soon - the "Krone" has the draft: among other things, the Parliament is to call on states to "extend bans to outdoor areas such as restaurants, cafés and bars." Like a recommendation, a resolution would not have any immediate binding effect. However, experience shows that many points are actually implemented a few years later. In addition to pavement cafés, the recommendation also mentions outdoor areas of amusement parks and bus stations.

Another controversial part of the resolution is the handling of alternative products such as e-cigarettes and tobacco heaters. They would also be covered by a smoking ban in public places. The paper mentions a "scientific evaluation of the health risks".

The draft states that outdoor areas of restaurants, cafés and bars would also be affected.

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Stock Adobe)

FPÖ, ÖVP, SPÖ and Neos against ban
The "Krone" asked EU parliamentarians what they thought about a ban in restaurants: FPÖ, ÖVP, SPÖ and Neos are against such restrictions. The Freedom Party MEP Petra Steger said in a statement: "The EU proposal to ban smoking outdoors is typical of the EU's policy of paternalism and disenfranchisement and should therefore be strictly rejected." She also sees an EU calculation behind this: "Forcing a large group of people into the private sphere is at least a deliberately calculated side effect - censorship by unusual means."

Black MP Lukas Mandl is also against a smoking ban in pubs. In an interview, he says: "Smoking is harmful, but it is clearly the wrong way to curtail freedoms. The EU should certainly not make centralized recommendations to the countries." Social Democrat representative Günther Sidl also believes that the plan goes too far: "A ban would overshoot the mark in pubs. Even if it is only a recommendation and not a legislative proposal: enough must be enough." Helmut Brandstätter from the Neos party takes a similar view. His motto is "freedom and consideration instead of over-regulation."

Green minister votes in favor of recommendation
The Greens, on the other hand, had no comment on the smoking ban in pavement cafés. However, Health Minister Johannes Rauch is in favor of smoke-free pavement cafés. This is shown by his voting behavior. In a so-called "silent procedure", he quietly approved the Commission's draft recommendation, which includes the smoking ban in pubs. The final vote is still to follow, only then will the recommendation apply.

A ban would be a hard blow for restaurateurs. Smoking could move to the sidewalks next to the restaurants. Restaurant owners' spokesman Mario Pulker has already warned in the "Krone" newspaper that the ban could threaten the existence of restaurants.

Conservationists criticize the many cigarette butts in ski resorts.

(Bild: APA/EXPA/Johann Groder)

Smoking bans soon on slopes and ski lifts?
Every year at the start of the ski season, the use of cigarettes causes annoyance. According to the Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union, 4.5 million cigarettes end up in nature every year. The French ski resort of Les Gets alone found more than 3,000 stubs during clean-up work in spring - the first smoking ban on pistes and ski lifts came into force.

It is unclear whether the local mountain railroads will be able to bring themselves to do the same. According to Markus Lindblad from Northerner, the focus is more on raising awareness, such as the distribution of pocket ashtrays. The fact is that the toxic substances contained in cigarettes have a negative impact on the environment and health.