Parliament set to become complete smoke-free zone

By Martin Banks

Date: 29/07/04

LEADERS of the European Parliament have agreed to a total ban on smoking on its premises.

The move follows a long-running campaign to outlaw smoking at the assembly's buildings in Brussels, Strasbourg and Luxembourg on health grounds.

According to rules passed nearly ten years ago, the Parliament's three sites are supposed to be smoke-free zones except for a few designated areas.

But many MEPs and other officials flout the ban, much to the chagrin of non-smokers.

Earlier this year the EU Ombudsman Nikiforos Diamandouros upheld a complaint from a Parliamentary official that failure to enforce the ban amounted to maladministration.

Now the assembly's president and 14 vice-presidents have agreed to ban smoking everywhere in the Parliament, though the ban will not come into force for more than a year.

UK Tory MEP Edward McMillan-Scott said banning MEPs from smoking in their own offices was "draconian".

He said: "I am a smoker and think this is going a bit too far. Why shouldn't you be able to have a cigarette in what is, after all, your own office where you are not troubling anyone else?

"Non-smokers should realize that, for many, smoking is an addiction. Many of us try to give up but it isn't easy. Having said that, I respect the right of others who object to smoking, particularly on health grounds, and am prepared to comply with the ban."

Liz Lynne, a British Liberal Democrat MEP, suffers from asthma and used to have several attacks every day as a result of other people smoking in the Parliament.

"It was dreadful and, although the situation has improved a bit, it is still pretty bad. The trouble is that many people simply ignore the current ban. You even see some lighting up under no-smoking signs. This is a great idea but the key thing will be enforcing a ban. It is just a shame it isn't being introduced earlier," she said.

Leaders of the European Parliament have agreed to a total ban on smoking on its premises.