Smoking ban in public spaces is constitutional, Romanian judges decide

The Romanian Constitutional Court's judges ruled on Wednesday that the law that bans smoking in all enclosed public spaces was constitutional. The Court has thus rejected the appeal filed against this law by 33 MPs in December last year. Next, the law will be sent to President Klaus Iohannis for promulgation and will enter into force within 45 days after its publication in the Official Gazette. The law bans smoking in all enclosed public spaces, including bars, clubs, restaurants, schools, and hospitals. There are two exceptions, however: smoking is allowed in maximum security prison cells in and special rooms in transit areas within airports. The individuals who don’t respect the new anti-smoking rules risk fines of up to RON 500 (EUR 111) while the firms that break the law will be fined RON 5,000 (EUR 1,110) to RON 10,000 (EUR 2,220). The restaurants, bars, and clubs that break the rules also risk having their operating licenses suspended. The Chamber of Deputies approved the law that bans smoking in all public places on December 15 last year. According to official data cited by local Gandul.info, smoking causes the death of 33,000 Romanians per year, which means that four Romanians die every hour. Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com