Italian cafe rebellion against smoking ban

guido · Site Admin Joined: Oct 18, 2004 Posts: 377 Location: Italy

By Robin Pomeroy

ROME (Reuters) - Italy's cafe and restaurant owners say they will defy a smoking ban that comes into force in the new year requiring them to call the police if their customers continue to smoke.

The law will ban smoking in bars, restaurants and cafes. Owners face fines of up to 2,000 euros and may have their licence revoked if they fail to enforce it.

"We are against a campaign which is a real witch hunt," said Edi Sommariva, head of the trade body FIPE which represents 240,000 bars, restaurants and nightclubs across Italy.

"Managers of these places will not report those who continue to smoke after they have asked them not to," FIPE said on Wednesday, adding it backed the ban in principle, but not the way it will be policed.

The trade body says the law is the most rigid in Europe, which has seen Ireland, Norway and Malta introduce similar bans this year.

Italian restaurateurs and publicans say they do not fear the ban itself as opinion polls and Ireland's experience indicate they will not lose custom even if smokers are forced out onto the pavement.

Their main concern is the requirement that they grass on their clients.

Not only would this break the principle that the customer is always right, it would be unworkable when the police arrive only to find the smoker has put out his cigarette and denies he was smoking, FIPE said.

FIPE also wants discos and bingo halls exempt from the ban as well as cafes in Italy's historic town centres where pavements may be unable to accommodate smokers and where building laws would prevent the creation of specially ventilated smoking rooms.

Anti-smoking campaigners say the law is too weak as some restaurants might set up such smoking zones.

"It's a step forward but not what it could have been. We have only one quarter of what's needed," said Marco Ramadori, head of one of Italy's main consumer associations, Codacons, which is staunchly anti-smoking.

The ban was originally due to come into force on Wednesday December 29, but was delayed until January 10 to avoid problems over the festive Christmas and New Year period.

Guido... who is a smoker......
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In vino veritas!

paulamathers · Posted: Mon Oct 09, 2006 11:11 am Post subject:

as a non smoker i am pleased that they have decided to ban smoking in places that serve food. i think smoking should be banned in all public places, its horrible when im in town walking behind someone who lights up and blows their smoke back in my face. it stinks. just because others decided to poison their lungs doesnt mean that i should be forced to aswell.