Tobacco control

Bulgaria has the second highest number of smokers in Europe and ranks sixth in the world in this respect.

According to the latest Eurobarometer, which was released on Friday, 35 % of Bulgarians smoke, being preceded only by the Greeks, where the share of the smoking population is 38 %.

A Thai campaign against smoking used a new method to convince smokers to quit.

Nine Bulgarian citizens were detained for their alleged participation in a criminal group running a massive illegal cigarette factory in Hungary.

During the operation, which took place near Budapest on February 2, authorities seized cigarette manufacturing machinery, 22 tonnes of tobacco and 2.3 million cigarettes.

The Health Ministry is planning to introduce new measures and limitations on the use of tobacco in public places in Turkey, daily newspaper Sabah reported on Jan. 30.

Smoking is already banned in enclosed areas such as restaurants, cafes, bars and shopping malls, but a number of measures are planned on tobacco use as part of the National Tobacco Control Program 2015-2018.

Bulgaria is the country that loses most revenues from illicit cigarettes in the European Union (EU) in relative terms, shows a study of Industry Watch, which was released on Thursday.

Illicit cigarettes cost 1.6 - 2 % of total tax revenues collected by the government and Bulgaria considerably exceeds all other EU member states in this indicator.

The leader of Bulgarian opposition ATAKA party Volen Siderov on Thursday proposed to Parliament to relax the total ban on indoor smoking in public spaces.

An average of 140 M packs of contraband cigarettes are being sold each year in Bulgaria, shows a survey of the Centre for Studying of Democracy, quoted by News.bg.

The "sector" employs 15 000 people and brings losses of between BGN 400 and 500 M to the state budget.

The Sofia Health Inspectorate will increase the number of checks on the implementation of the indoor smoking ban in restaurants, clubs, bars, discotheques and cafes, reports Dnevnik.bg.

Serbia's Finance Ministry is drafting a new Law on Tobacco that will completely ban smoking in enclosed public spaces, such as workplaces, cafes, bars and restaurants.

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