Bucharest Old Town terraces can remain open in winter

Terraces in Bucharest’s Old Town can also remain open during the cold season, according to a draft resolution adopted on Tuesday, December 19, by the Bucharest General Council (CGMB). This means that the terraces can remain open all year. This may be good news for smokers, who can now have a drink outside if they want to smoke. Smoking has been banned in enclosed public spaces in Romania since March 2016, including in bars and restaurants. However, the change also helps increase revenues to the local budget, by collecting the taxes operators pay to use the public domain. So far, the terraces were open only between March 15 and November 15. Irina Marica, irina.marica@romania-insider.com