by Valentini Anagnostopoulou
ATHENS, Oct. 29 (Xinhua) -- Ten years after a blanket ban on smoking in all indoor public spaces was introduced in Greece, the country appears at last ready to put it into effect, as a new anti-smoking bill passed this October, updating and expanding the already existing legislation.
Although Greece typically aligned with EU anti-smoking legislation in 2009, at the beginning of the country's debt-crisis, the law was never enforced.
However, over the past ten years, there has been a dramatic shift in both tobacco consumption and attitude.
"Greeks today are absolutely mature to accept the implementation of this legislation. Surveys have repeatedly shown that more than 72 percent of our society are outraged by the non-implementation of the anti-smoking law," stressed Panagiotis Behrakis, coordinator of the Joint Action on Tobacco Control, a European Commission project.
According to Behrakis, educational campaigns in Greek schools in the last decade have been successful in raising awareness of the hazards of smoking, both active and passive.
In order to show its determination to enforce the law, the newly-elected government under Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has asked the police to be actively involved. According to the Health Ministry, a new hotline will also be established to receive public complaints for violations of the law.
Among the novelties the law introduces is the emphasis it puts on the protection of minors even in outdoor spaces, such as playgrounds and open-air sports facilities. Smoking in a private vehicle with a child under 12 is also prohibited, with penalties including fines of 1,500-3,000 euros and suspension of the driver's license for a month,
Under the new law, smoking will be prohibited not only in cafeterias, restaurants, bars, hospitals, schools and public services, but also in night clubs, live music venues, and casinos larger than 300 sq.m., which were exempt from the previous legislation. Fines will also be stiffer for both smokers and establishments where the law is violated.
The law is met with the food and beverage sector's reactions, as business owners, who have been heavily affected by austerity measures and high taxation over the last decade, fear the ban will strike the final blow on their economic survival.
"When the previous anti-smoking law passed in 2009, we witnessed a drop of the food and beverage businesses's turnover by 30-40 percent," Giorgos Kavvathas, President of the Panhellenic Federation of Restaurateurs and Relevant Professions, told Xinhua.
"What we ask for is that there is an exception for some categories of our facilities, allowing them to have a smoking section, fully separated from the non-smoking section, so that it is up to our customers to make their choice," Kavvathas stressed.
But even in the smoking section, someone will have to provide services, many argue. Employees in the food and beverage industry, who practically have no choice but to work in smoke-infested environments, have been some of the silent victims of Greece's unwillingness to comply with the anti-smoking legislation. An injustice addressed by the new law, which goes as far as to ensure a smoke-free workplace for all employees, even those working at private spaces, such as home tutors or house workers.
Spyros currently works as a waiter at one of the few smoke-free cafes of Athens. As he says, this is a first in his 20-year long career. "Of course, I enjoy it, since I am also a parent. Finally I can go home with smoke-free clothes," he said.
Given that up until now, there were no controls to ensure the enforcement of the law, for Meletis Belesis, the owner of the cafe, going smoke-free was not the obvious choice. But he has turned his compliance with the law to his advantage, and advertised it to attract a non-smoking crowd.
"Now, that the new anti-smoking law passed, I believe we are in an advantageous position, because we have already established our clientele," Belesis said.
Belesis's cafeteria is one of the 480 businesses featured on akapnos.gr, a website and mobile app that was launched in 2017 to help non-smokers find their way to smoke-free entertainment.
"There are many business owners who were looking for this opportunity; they were asking 'how can we let people know that we are out there?'," George Balafoutis, founder of akapnos.gr, told Xinhua.
The 10-strong team of volunteers aims to list confirmed smoke-free facilities nationwide, and pins them on an interactive map for users to locate the ones nearest to them. As Balafoutis says, the demand for smoke-free entertainment is growing, as is the non-smokers community who are claiming their right to clean air.
"They are not only people who don't want their clothes to smell of smoke, but many more categories of people: those with chronic respiratory problems, pregnant women, people with children. These are all people who want to find a clean space and they are going the extra mile in order to find it," Balafoutis explains.
Government, experts and public voice optimism that this time the ban will work.
"We are finally at a point where people are talking about when it will be implemented and not whether it will be implemented," Balafoutis said.
