In March 2009, the Smokefree Partnership launched an interactive map on Smokefree legislation across Europe.
The new interactive map shows that all EU Member States currently have some form of regulation aimed at limiting exposure to second-hand smoke. However, the scope of these regulations differs widely within the EU. Furthermore, in more than half of the Member States, citizens and workers are still not fully protected from exposure to tobacco smoke in indoor workplaces and public places.
Over the past several years, a number of EU countries have brought in strong smoke-free legislation for indoor workplaces and public places, including bars, pubs and restaurants. The growing list in Europe includes Ireland, France, Italy, Lithuania, Norway and the United Kingdom. The experience of these and other countries has proven that smoke-free air laws are effective, popular, enforceable and inexpensive. Public acceptance of smoke-free air laws is also extremely high, even among smokers. According to the latest Flash Eurobarometer, published in March 2009, an overwhelming majority of EU citizens support smoke-free public places, such as offices (84%), restaurants (79%), bars, pubs and clubs (65%). These results are in line with those obtained in the 2006 Eurobarometer and confirm the overwhelming support that smoke-free policies have in the EU. Even if there seems to be a trend towards the reduction of exposure to tobacco smoke at the work place in Europe, a fifth of European workers are still exposed to tobacco smoke on a daily basis.
The map provides an overview of the current state of compliance with Article 8 of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in the EU countries. Colour coding enables the reader to get a fast, comparative overview. Clicking on the individual countries provides detailed information about the development of smokefree laws and useful links.
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