A woman smokes a cigarette in Skopje. Photo: EPA/GEORGI LICOVSKI.
North Macedonia may soon get anti-smoking legislation described by some media as the “most restrictive” in the Balkans – extending the country’s ban on smoking to some outdoor spaces, as well as prohibiting the advertising of nicotine products.
The new draft Law on Protection from Tobacco and Nicotine Products, published by North Macedonia’s Health Ministry on Sunday, is one of the most significant overhauls of the country’s tobacco control laws in over a decade.
The existing ban already applies to all enclosed public spaces. Crucially, some open spaces will now also become off-limits for smoking. The import and sale of tobacco and nicotine products will be drastically limited and their advertisement totally banned. Cigarette producers will not be able to sponsor events, and cigarettes in markets will be completely removed from the gaze of shoppers.
Smoking will also be banned on the terraces of cafes and restaurants, unless they are completely open from at least three sides. The ban will also apply to car drivers in the presence of a child, to city and international bus and train stations, markets and a number of other public spaces. Smoking outside schools and hospitals will also be prohibited.
The same ban will apply to electronic cigarettes and vaping devices, and the sale and use of flavoured tobacco products will additionally be prohibited, the draft reads.
“The aim is not punishment but prevention, the care for the public health of the most vulnerable categories of citizens, and especially children,” the Health Ministry said in a press release.
However, the fines for illegal smoking, which range from 150 to 300 euros for individuals, in a country with an average monthly salary of about 600 euros, seem steep.
The Health Ministry of the EU-candidate country insists this is also done to comply with EU regulations on this matter.
The use of tobacco remains a deep-rooted public health challenge in North Macedonia. Data from the country’s Public Health Institute show that more than 45 per cent of the adult population are smokers. This is far higher than the EU average, where Eurobarometer and EU health data suggest about 24 per cent of adults are smokers.
Also, half of the smokers in North Macedonia consume more than one pack of cigarettes a day, data show. The institute estimates that some 4,000 people die as a consequence of smoking each year.
The previous smoking regulation was imposed in 2010. The ban on smoking in cafes and restaurants, unless on terraces, drew protests from the hospitality industry, which claimed it would hit revenues. Most venues have meanwhile found a way around, by covering their terraces with movable glass or nylon. This time, the provision is stricter, and specifically states that terraces must remain open at all times.
The publication of the draft law has kicked off a 30-day public consultation period before the law is potentially adopted by parliament, where the centre-right government of Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski controls a solid majority.