Not binding in any case

Smoke-free zones: No agreement in the EU Parliament

(Bild: Karl Grammer)

The European Parliament in Strasbourg was unable to agree on a common position on the planned EU recommendation for more smoke-free areas on Thursday. The vote has no direct impact, as the Parliament can only express one opinion on this issue.

The recommendation, which is not binding on individual EU member states anyway, can still be adopted by the Council (of EU member states; note) next week.

In the motion originally tabled by the Conservatives, Social Democrats, Liberals and Greens, the recommendations were welcomed in principle - however, it was stated that greater attention should be paid to the possible impact on the hotel and restaurant industry. Several amendments were tabled by various political groups, some of which were also adopted. However, there was no majority for the final text (motion including adopted amendments).

In mid-September, the EU Commission had proposed recommending that EU countries ban smoking, particularly in places where children are present - such as playgrounds, swimming pools, schools, but also in outdoor areas of restaurants.

(Bild: APA/HELMUT FOHRINGER)

In addition to the extension of smoke-free zones to outdoor areas, the extension to alternative tobacco products (e.g. electronic cigarettes, note) is also recommended. This was in response to findings that these products can also lead to health problems for passive users, according to a press release issued by the Commission at the time.

Recommendation is not binding
Even apart from the fact that the recommendation - as the name suggests - is not binding, it would only have a partial impact on Austria. For example, smoking is already banned in outdoor areas of childcare facilities and schools; since 2019, there have also been restrictions for covered restaurants, commercial means of transport such as cabs and coaches as well as private cars.

Domestic politics opposed
Federal Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) expressed his criticism on X (formerly Twitter): "I think such proposals are completely the wrong way to go. The EU should stop trying to regulate people's lives down to the smallest detail and instead deal with the big issues such as migration and business location. The protection for non-smokers in Austria is sufficient, with the ÖVP there will be no ban on smoking outdoors," he said.

The SPÖ was also less than enthusiastic. "We have already implemented a lot in terms of protecting non-smokers. I am in favor of the smoking ban in pubs, but such a ban would overshoot the mark in restaurant gardens. Even if this had only been a non-binding recommendation, I have always said that there has to be an end to it. That's why I was in favor of exempting the outdoor areas of cafés and restaurants right from the start," said SPÖ MEP Günther Sidl.