Prague - Like anywhere else in the world, the ban on smoking in bars and restaurants sparks a heated debate among Czechs, including the country´s president.
President Václav Klaus is famous for his dislike of any sort of smoking-ban in bars and restaurants. He is convinced that a smoking-ban would violate smokers' human rights.
Unlike their president though, most Czechs hold an opposite view. Almost 60 per cent of the country´s citizens wish for bars and restaurants to be without cigarettes.
That is the latest finding of a survey conducted by a CVVM polling agency in February. According to the survey, most people refuse smoking in theatres and cinemas (95 per cent), in public transportation (94 per cent) and at work (75 per cent).
Law still out of sight
However, the anti-smoking law is not near its enforcement.
Two weeks ago Czech MPs sent the anti-smoking law back to committee boards for its alleged insufficient transparency and a number of amendments.
"If it [the law] was ratified, the law would be inconsistent because the individual points of view of the committee boards were contradictory," explained the chairman of the Communist Party Vojtěch Filip.
The law is now at the stage of waiting for hearing by committee boards.
MPs are to deal with the law again in April.
Weaker support for cafés and bars
The CVVM polling agency also questioned the ban on smoking in other places than restaurants.
Although 59 per cent of the survey respondents were against smoking in restaurants, the support for other places turned out to be significantly weaker. Only 39 per cent of respondents refused smoking in bars and cafés.
The respondents´ answers were, of course, influenced by the fact whether the respondents themselves smoke or not. The majority of non-smokers usually welcome restrictions; the tobacco-lovers are predominantly against the ban.
Along with the smoking restrictions, there is a frequent debate about the restaurant owners losing their customers. Nonetheless, no radical client decline is expected. Only two fifths of Czechs are supposed to stop going to non-smoking bars and restaurants.
Respondents also do not believe much the curb on smoking would make smokers not to smoke. 79 per cent respondents are persuaded that the law will not prevent people from smoking.
The research made in February 2008 was conducted among 1,062 citizens older than 15 years old. The respondents were selected on the basis of the quote selection methods.
