A draft law from the Minister of Health on outdoor smoking has been awaiting completion for a year. New bans would be conceivable for the SPÖ, but the FPÖ is against it.
The EU wants to make new recommendations for the protection of non-smokers in the autumn. That is why cigarettes should increasingly be banned outside the home as well. The goal: tobacco-free in 2040. This is reported by the ‘Krone’.
Novella has been around for a year
In Austria there is – again – a standstill. The Health Ministry, led by the Greens, drafted a draft review a year ago for an amendment to the Tobacco and Non-Smoker Protection Act. This should include new nicotine products and further restrictions on smoking – for example in “additional outdoor public areas” such as “children’s play areas and recreation areas for children and young people”.
The amendment should have been reviewed in early 2023, but nothing has happened so far. The reason for this could not be explained at the ÖVP for the time being. However, the People’s Party opposes a blanket ban on smoking in public places.
Further bans are conceivable for SPÖ
The SPÖ can certainly envision an outdoor ban that will particularly affect children. But here too the government is inactive, according to the parliamentary club SPÖ. The Neos are a bit more skeptical. “We are critical of a general expansion, for example to all terraces and bus stops.” More information is needed as Austria still has an above-average number of smokers internationally.
Patronizing citizens or an important step?
The FPÖ is of course critical of the EU project. It is again “about control, supervision and paternalism of the citizens”. Be that as it may, the readers of “Krone” have clearly spoken out against a further ban on online voting.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
