German Chancellor Voices Support for Public Smoking Ban

It is the news that smokers across Germany were dreading. Not only is the German government considering banning smoking in public places but now the chancellor has thrown her weight behind the ban that would end Germany's status as a haven for smokers and bring it into line with several other European countries.

In an interview published in the weekend tabloid Bild am Sonntag, Angela Merkel said that she supported the recent calls for a ban on smoking in public buildings led by Consumer Affairs Minister Horst Seehofer.

"I always argue for a sense of proportion with such bans, but I find the demand for a general smoking ban in public buildings legitimate," Merkel said in the interview published on Sunday, adding that she expected a decision on "better protection for non-smokers" to be taken some time this year with an implementation penciled in for 2007.

"I see in neighboring countries that freedom does not go under when tough rules are drawn up to protect non-smokers," Merkel, who said she used to smoke a pack of cigarettes a day before quitting, was quoted as saying.

Earlier this month, Seehofer said he hoped that a ban would be in place in Germany by 2007 and that the issue would be put on parliament's agenda when it reconvenes after the summer recess.

Seehofer added that he thought it unacceptable that people could just light up in nursing homes, hospitals and other municipal buildings, calling a smoking ban "common sense, and necessary."

Germany smokes alone -- almost

Public smoking bans are in place in Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands among others and Germany finds itself one of the dwindling number of EU countries that does not have a nationwide smoking ban in either public spaces or bars and restaurants.

The power to enforce bans in Germany currently lies in the hands of the individual state governments who can decide whether schools, universities, hospitals or city offices should be smoke-free.

The decision to ban smoking in restaurants, bars and clubs is left up to the owners of such establishments.

According to the German Hotel and Restaurant Association, so far only about 30 percent of German restaurants offer non-smoking zones.