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Anastasia Balezdrova

New measures to ban smoking will announce the Greek government next week. According to them smoking will be permitted in establishments where alcohol is served primarily (bouzouki, music halls, discotheques, etc.), in all bars and casinos, while at the same time their owners will pay tax. It will be calculated on the basis of size of the establishments, and not according to their turnover, and according to the initial estimates it will range between 300-400 square meters. Establishments in which smoking will be permitted will have to pay tax each month, regardless of the number of hours and days that are open. In case of non-payment of the monthly fee owners of the establishments will be sentenced by the fast-track procedure and their licenses will be taken away. A measure for permanent closure of the establishments is also provided for.

Similar sanctions will be imposed on non smoking establishments in which smoking ban is not respected. They will be fined according to their turnover, they will be closed for a period of time and permanently closed down in case they ignore the ban several times.

Smoking will be banned in restaurants, taverns, fast food restaurants, cinemas, theaters, hotels, gaming rooms and all types of halls for events.

Under that same law, all income from the "smoking" tax will be given for the improvement of hospital facilities in the country, as well as to cover their basic shortages. By the decision of the Ministry of Finance revenues from this tax could reach an amount of 100 million euros annually. The Government has also considered the possibility for smoking be allowed in the cafeterias, which serve only coffee and sweets, but at least for the moment such a decision has not been adopted.

The law to ban smoking in all public places in Greece came into effect in early September 2010. Only a month later ashtrays began timidly to reappear on tables in restaurants and now almost everywhere customers smoke freely without fear of sanctions, simply because they are not imposed.

GRReporter conducted a small survey among owners of establishments, in order to learn what their opinion is about the ban and whether it has affected in any way their turnover.

The man in charge of a restaurant from a world-famous pizza chain said that there is a reflux  of 5% in the revenues, but added that it is mostly due to the economic crisis and to a much lesser extent, to the smoking ban. "Our customers who are smokers just go outside and smoke there even when the weather is cold". He said the changes that the Government intends to make are "doors around the law".

"At least so far our experience shows that the law exists, only to have it. It has not been observed. We do not allow our customers to smoke, but the nearby restaurant allows them. At the same time, however, sanctions are not imposed to the offenders, and institutions, which are observing the law are losing customers. Smoking should have been banned years ago. With the vote on the law now under the conditions of an economic crisis the opportunity was given to the opponents of the measure to have arguments such as "you increased the VAT, and now this". I am a smoker myself, but I think smoking should be prohibited. Whoever wants to smoke let them only harm themselves and not to impose others to inhale the smoke of his cigarette".

Such a stand holds also the man responsible for a restaurant from a Greek fast food chain. According to him as well the small decline in turnover is due to the reduction of the purchasing power of the Greeks, not to the smoking ban. "I think the smoking ban is not such a big problem. Even before the law came into force in our restaurant we had a separate room for smokers. Now we were forced to install heaters in the outer part of the restaurant where people smoke, and they often eat there.

My opinion is that smokers should also have a choice. If an establishment is well designed with good ventilation it could have a room where those who wish can smoke, without at all bothering the non-smokers. I think the discussion about the smoking ban has become on a very large scale, for no reason. All over the world, even in Cyprus, where the mentality is similar to the Greek, people have adjusted to this. Furthermore, in Greece the summer is eight months a year.

In regards to the new measures I would like to say that they aim to collect money and nothing more. Even before they voted on the law they were supposed to decide whether to implement it or not, rather than making amendments now".

For the owners of the coffee bars and bar-restaurants, however, things are quite different. They say that since the early September so far they have reported a decline of about 30% in turnover and they believe it is due precisely to the smoking ban. Today in most of these, customers smoke freely "in their own responsibility". Largly in these establishments smoking will be permitted under the changes in the law. According to the person charge of a large coffee bar in the Athens district of Neo Psychico the smoking ban is not in the right direction. "The imposition of the measure is close to racism. When you say that the restaurant is just for non smokers it is like saying "you're black, so you have no right to enter". He himself is a non-smoker.

Members of the Panhellenic Federation of restaurants and related professions strongly opposed the government plans. In the communication of the federation is mentioned: "we reject in advance any measures which repeal the smoking ban by name, but at the same time will place unapplicable conditions and unattainable prerequisites for the operation of our facilities as places where smoking will be allowed with the only aim of achieving the same result another way".

The professional Union underlines once again that in the adoption of any measure will have to be take into account the viability of the business and the right to work of thousands of people. "As we saw from the movement against the payment of tolls the application of a law is judged by its acceptance by the people," further say the restaurant owners.