综合一区欧美国产,99国产麻豆免费精品,九九精品黄色录像,亚洲激情青青草,久久亚洲熟妇熟,中文字幕av在线播放,国产一区二区卡,九九久久国产精品,久久精品视频免费

Greece bans smoking, again

(Agencies)
Updated: 2010-09-02 09:12
Large Medium Small

Greece banned smoking in all indoor public places again on Wednesday in yet another effort to persuade Europe's heaviest smokers to kick the habit.

The new socialist government hopes fines and vigilance will work after a similar attempt in 2009 was largely ignored. But many doubt the ban has a chance in a country where more than 40 percent of the population lights up.

"It won't work. No one is willing to quit smoking. It's our mentality. Can you imagine going out, to night-clubs, and not smoking?" said 26-year-old bank employee Iro Karahaliou, puffing away on a bench in central Athens.

As the ban kicked in on Wednesday, smokers filled terraces, balconies and open-air cafes in Athens. The new law forbids smoking in areas such as hospitals, schools, airports, bus stations, taxis, bars, cafes and restaurants.

Inspectors will impose up to 10,000 euros in fines on bar-owners or managers tolerating smoking in restricted areas and up to 500 euros for smokers who break the law.

"Greece is ready for this," said Deputy Health Minister Marilisa Xenogiannakopoulou. "It is a big challenge and I believe we have taken all the necessary steps."

The government says the previous law was weakened by too many exceptions, a reluctance to impose fines and poor policing, but this time around violators will really feel the heat.

Greeks smoke some 32 billion cigarettes annually, spending 4.5 billion euros on the habit, or almost as much as they pay for electricity.

Smoking-related health costs run up to an annual 2 billion euros, according to health ministry data, about 60 percent of total tobacco tax revenues in 2009.

Not even a VAT increase to 23 from 19 percent and a rise in excise taxes on tobacco, part of austerity steps prescribed by the EU and the IMF, has put Greek smokers off.

Austerity-hit businessmen oppose the ban and have asked for a one-year reprieve for restaurants, bars and cafes, and for 1,400 nightclubs to be made exempt altogether.

The health ministry has rejected their request but said casinos and nightclubs bigger than 300 square meters have until June 2011 to comply.

More than 2,500 people have joined a Facebook group opposing the ban -- twice as many as the 1,295 members of a rival Facebook group in favor of the measure.

"We are cutting down on everything due to austerity, and they are asking us to give up smoking?" said saleswoman Eleni Doufekoula, 27, having a cigarette outside her work in central Athens.

"In all this misery, when you go to a bar you want to light a cigarette and have fun. Why go out otherwise?"

崇文区| 光山县| 广安市| 岳普湖县| 日土县| 古田县| 白朗县| 沈丘县| 汨罗市| 延川县| 灵丘县| 顺义区| 榆林市| 三原县| 习水县| 高陵县| 曲水县| 龙山县| 镇安县| 封丘县| 山西省| 双桥区| 中阳县| 封开县| 城市| 金溪县| 句容市| 山丹县| 南陵县| 林周县| 阿拉善右旗| 达尔| 澳门| 东至县| 山东省| 醴陵市| 汝州市| 朝阳市| 伽师县| 安仁县| 抚远县|