Smoking in public place (EC)

The Commission intends to put forward a Green Paper on smoke free environments. This will be a consultative process, following on from previous stakeholder consultations and the experience of those countries that have introduced smoking bans in public places, such as Italy, Ireland and Sweden. The intention is to explore both legal mechanisms and health promotion initiatives at both European and Member State level. Adults who are in daily contact with a smoker increase their mortality rate by 15%, even if they have never smoked themselves. To illustrate this, the European Commission’s audiovisual service has produced an infoclip which will contain the following images: - Exteriors of public places (bar, restaurants) - Panels with the “No Smoking” sign and the date this ban took place. - People smoking in bars - Close up of cigarettes, packets, ashtrays and smokers - Hotel lobby and rooms with the “No Smoking” sign