Bill banning minors from smoking in public places passes Romanian Senate

A legislative proposal prohibiting minors from smoking in public places was recently passed by Romania’s Senate.

The proposal amends law 349/2002 on preventing and combating the effects of tobacco. Read in the plenary by interim president of the Senate, Alina Gorghiu, the proposal was supposed to be debated and voted on by December 21, but it passed since no such debate took place.

The legislative proposal states that "the consumption of tobacco by persons who have not reached the age of 18 is prohibited in the following public places: public roads, parks, stadiums and sports fields, cultural institutions, theaters, institutions or economic units, means of transport, bus stations, train stations, state, and private airports, and in public or private educational institutions, as well as within a radius of 200 meters around them,” according to Digi24.

The initiators, a group of MPs from the Social Democratic group currently in power, say that existing Romanian legislation “does not contain provisions for punishing the consumption of tobacco products by minors and as a result, the efforts of the authorities, teachers and people involved in preventing and combating the consumption of tobacco products by this category are fruitless.”

The bill will also be debated in the Chamber of Deputies, which will give the final vote.

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