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Macedonia’s government vows no backdown on smoking ban

Fri, Jan 15 2010 12:21 CET

byThe Sofia Echo Staff

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Macedonia’s government vows no backdown on smoking ban

Photo: M Minderhoud

Macedonia will not back down on the ban on smoking in public places that took effect on January 1 2010, a senior government minister said.
 
Vladimir Pesevski was reacting to the announcement by a number of places of entertainment that said they would join in a nationwide closedown on January 22 in protest against the law, which they say has hurt their profits.
 
The long-term economic effects from such measures would pay off, even if the hospitality industry shed profits in the short term, said Pesevski, who is deputy prime minister in charge of economic affairs.
 
Macedonia was neither the first and nor would it be the last country to introduce such measures, he said.
 
Earlier, media in Skopje quoted Ognen Cigovski, speaking for the restaurant owners and hotel keepers association, as saying that places of entertainment had seen turnover halve, with turnover at restaurants falling by 35 per cent.
 
Cigovski alleged that inspectors were being selective, checking some places but allowing smoking to continue at others in breach of the ban.
 
Macedonian media said on January 5 that the first few days of the ban, which outlaws smoking in all enclosed public spaces and workplaces, had seen widespread compliance.
 
Fines for breaking the ban are 150 to 300 euro for individuals and up to 4500 euro for legal persons.

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Comments

Anonymous DIDI Fri, Jan 15 2010 21:24 CET
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Well if everyone smoked Crown7 Electric cigarettes then nobody would have to worry about smoking bans!!!!


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