Smoking may go up in smoke in EU countries

BRUSSELS, Oct. 12 (UPI) -- The European Commission is preparing to introduce next year a ban on smoking in public places in European Union member countries, officials said.

While total or partial bans have been introduced in many countries, smokers usually can find some locale where they light up either because of a loophole or flat-out defiance of the ban, the EUobserver.com reported Tuesday from Brussels, headquarters of the European Union and the EU's executive body, the European Commission.

The commission's legislation would be a blanket ban -- no exceptions, officials said.

"We need a complete ban on smoking in all public spaces, transport and the workplace," Health Commissioner John Dalli said Monday.

Exceptions should no longer be tolerated, Dalli said, as the matter "is not only about the health of visitors, but also the employees."

The bill also may try to reduce the level of nicotine and other toxins in tobacco products, EUobserver said. In addition, the commission may consider trying to win agreement on rules that would hide tobacco products from public view and make packaging as unattractive as possible.

"The more uniform and bland packaging the cigarettes are, the better," Dalli said.