Macedonia May Ease Smoking Ban

The motion from the centre-right VMRO-DPMNE party will later be debated at a plenary session.

"With this bill, we want to liberalise the existing law. Namely, smoking will be allowed in outdoor areas and gardens of restaurants and cafes, and in outdoor disco clubs,” Vladimir Gjorcev of the VMRO-DPMNE said.

The opposition was dissatisfied with the motion, arguing that its provisions were not sufficient. In a heated debate the Social Democrats demanded smoking to be allowed inside cafés and restaurants that satisfy certain conditions and have enough space to include a smoking section.

The amendments come after the Macedonian Tourism Chamber revealed a survey showing an astonishing 90 per cent drop in profits among café and restaurant owners since the new law entered into force.

The hospitality industry has been asking for changes to the harsh law, arguing that it deters smokers from visiting their establishments in a country where some half of the adult population puffs.