MEPs ignore Parliament no-smoking signs

Date: 28/10/04

The lawmakers of the European Parliament routinely ignore their own laws on smoking, according to a complaint being put to the quaestors, the disciplinary body of MEPs, next week. At issue is the ban on smoking in public areas of the Parliament.

The ban was introduced on July 1 but is widely ignored. The UK Liberal Democrat MEP Liz Lynne has complained to the quaestors that a "hard-core" of MEPs and staff have continued "blatantly and routinely" to ignore the rules banning smoking in public areas, including offices, meeting rooms, entrance halls, restaurants and bars. Smoking is allowed in offices that are occupied by a single person. European Voice put Lynne's claims to the test by accompanying the former actress on a tour of the Parliament's Brussels building last week.

A French Parliamentary official was puffing away on a cigarette in the "Mickey Mouse" bar, near the hemicycle. The man seemed oblivious of a no-smoking sign under which he was sitting. At an adjacent table, four young Parliamentary officials were also smoking. Cypriot Stefanos Sofroniou, from the press service, said: "I am sorry but we've seen MEPs smoking. If it's good enough for them, why not us?"

"This is the sort of dismissive attitude people like me are up against," said Lynne, who used to smoke 40 cigarettes a day but gave up 22 years ago because of the damage it was doing to her lungs. Nowadays, she cannot go near a smoker without a mask.

As officials from the European Health and Safety Agency erected a temporary exhibition on workers' health people wandered round the area smoking.

"As you can see, the air is thick with cigarette smoke," complained the agency's Alun Jones.

Outside a third-floor committee meeting room, an usher was puffing away on a cigarette, while in the ground-floor foyer, a chauffeur was doing the same.

"The drivers are probably the worst offenders and they, like everyone else, are allowed to get away with it," said Lynne, pointing to a nearby full ashtray.

Dirk Beniest, in charge of the team of chauffeurs, said: "I sympathize and will do all I can to ensure the drivers comply with rules in future."

German MEP Elmar Brok, rarely seen without his trademark cigar or pipe in hand, said: "I respect the rights of non-smokers but I think banning smoking is going a bit too far."

Article says that the ban on smoking in public areas of the European Parliament, which was introduced on 1 July 2004, was widely ignored.