Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin has become the latest leader in Central and Eastern Europe to take up the cudgels against smoking, and it remains to be seen whether he will do better or worse than his counterparts.

In the past two years, Turkey, Serbia, Macedonia and Greece have been among countries to revise their laws on smoking bans, with varying results.

Russia’s tobacco consumption market is massive. Quoting a United Nations report, health minister Tatyana Golikova said that there were more smokers in Russia than in any other country in the world, news agency Interfax reported.

About 40 per cent of Russians smoke, with a sharp gender differential; 80 per cent of men and 50 per cent of women. Official estimates are that 400 000 people in Russia die from smoking-related illnesses each year.

Putin has called on his cabinet ministers to give up, and in 2010 will increase taxes on tobacco by 44 per cent, meaning a significant increase in the price of cigarettes, until now among the cheapest in the world.

Russia plans to ban tobacco advertising in print media by 2012, following a ban on billboard advertising that came into force in 2007, and smoking in public places such as offices, theatres, public transport – including long-distance trains – by 2015. However, according to plans outlined on the Kremlin website, there could be exemptions allowing smoking in sections of restaurants and bars.

If Putin is looking for encouraging examples, there is Turkey, where a ban on smoking was extended to restaurants, cafeterias and coffee houses with effect from July 2009.
 
Dampener
The result, according to Turkey’s tobacco and alcohol market regulatory agency, has seen a year-on-year drop in cigarettes sales of 16.2 per cent, comparing sales in the first eight months of 2010 to the same period of 2009.

Official statistics are that just more than 31 per cent of Turkish citizens smoke, again with men outnumbering women in the smoking stakes. At the same time, the proportion of teenagers who smoke is increasing.

A report in Today’s Zaman said that the overall decrease in cigarette sales was not slowed by the summer tourism season and the higher number of foreign visitors who came to Turkey this year.

In July 2010, 79 million fewer packs were sold than in July of 2008, while in August, 44 million fewer packs were sold in comparison with the previous year.

In Greece, a total ban on smoking in public places came into force on September 1, but there are signs that it is not working as intended, and some media reports say that the government in Athens might backtrack.
 
Review
Bulgarian National Radio reported earlier in October that the Greek health ministry was planning a review of the total ban on smoking in public places.

As is usual with all countries that legislate smoking bans, there have been complaints from restaurants and café owners who claim that their businesses are being damaged. This emerged at the same time as reports that health minister Andreas Loverdos has complained that the smoking ban was being ignored: "Everywhere, I mean in eight out of 10 cases, the ban is being violated," he said.

Talks have been held between health ministry representatives, community police and representatives of restaurant owners to discuss possible changes to the ban. Restaurant and bar owners, who face huge fines of up to 10 000 euro for allowing breaches of the ban, already have held protests in central Athens.

Loverdos, however, is persisting with the campaign on other fronts, having announced that he is considering tabling in parliament a law that would penalise people who smoke in their cars while children younger than 12 are travelling in them. Fines would be up to 3000 euro, with repeat offenders liable to lose their driving licences.

Serbian president Boris Tadic signed into law in May 2010 anti-smoking measures banning lighting up in most public places but giving some leeway for restaurants, bars and cafes. The law forbids smoking in state institutions and buildings, schools, social care institutions, buildings used for cultural and sports activities, media buildings and buildings where food is produced. Reports are that the ban has proved to have been of mixed effectiveness.