Romanians Say Goodbye to Smoking in Bars

Shortly after the midnight on Wednesday, Alina Tronaru regretfully stubbed out her last cigarette in a restaurant.

Together with some other friends, the 32-year-old joined a "farewell" party for smokers in a fancy restaurant in downtown Bucharest.

She is not giving up smoking, however, just giving up smoking in public places.

"This was our last night of free puffing in a restaurant and we wanted to mark the event," she said.

"I'm not sure I will enjoy going out much now as I've decided to remain a smoker. This is a habit that cannot be contained so easily," she added.

Romania banned smoking in enclosed areas, including bars, discotheques and restaurants, from March 16, part of new curbs welcomed by anti-tobacco campaigners. How and even whether the ban will be enforced remains to be seen.

Under the new rules, anyone in Romania who violates the ban, which includes smoking in offices and hospitals as well as sporting arenas, must pay a fine of 500 lei [some 112 euro].

Any clubs, bars and restaurants that will still allow people to smoke inside risk having their activities suspended, besides paying hefty fines.

In the country of 19.5 million people, where a quarter of all adults are smokers, the ban has caused some controversy.

Most Romanians welcome the move, however. A recent study showed that around 78 per cent of Romanians in urban areas agreed with it.

"I was waiting for such a decision for years. In Bucharest, it was almost impossible to find a non-smoking place to eat. This was not normal," Sergiu Ionescu, an engineer, said.

Many smokers oppose the ban on the grounds that it is too harsh, but even most of them say they will accept it.

The radical change in...