PRESS RELEASE (full version attached) -
On Monday 12th February, the European Parliament Bureau voted 14 to 1 to scrap recently introduced provisions banning smoking in its premises. The rules were introduced in all the Parliament buildings in Belgium, France and Luxembourg on 1 January 2007 as a result of a 2004 case to the European Ombudsman who found that the Parliament was failing to protect the health of its staff. [1]
According to a report in the Parliament’s Newshound magazine the rules were scrapped because of “enforcement” problems and because the smoking ban was interfering with the "smooth running of our parliamentary and administrative business." The EP is now proposing to adopt smoking rooms after consultation with Parliament’s administration.
Health advocates are appalled by the Bureau’s actions: “This decision flies in the face of all the independent scientific evidence on the harm caused by passive smoking. It also ignores the fact that European citizens and the Bureau’s constituents overwhelmingly support smokefree workplaces”, said Luk Joossens of the European Cancer Leagues.
“There are smoking bans in place in all the countries in which Parliament is located. French, Belgians and Luxembourgers have had no problems complying with these laws so how come MEPs can’t do the same? This is not about the smooth running of Parliament but about a handful of MEPs who think they are above the law”, said Fiona Godfrey of the European Respiratory Society. “Their actions bring Parliament into disrepute and will only add to perceptions that Brussels is totally out of step with ordinary voters.”
Susanne Logstrup of the European Heart Network added: “Extensive research has shown that ventilation does not protect against the harmful effects of passive smoking. If Parliament introduces the kind of sealed smoking rooms allowed under Italian and French law it will cost millions of Euros. It’s a complete waste of EU funds when there is a cheap and effective alternative already in place.”
"In an internal European Parliament poll conducted in late 2006, 60% of all respondents supported the introduction of a comprehensive smoking ban in the Parliament. If the Bureau members are not listening to their voters, to Parliament’s staff or to independent medical opinion, just who are they listening to?" concluded Francis Grogna of the European Network for Smoking Prevention.
Seven leading health organisations [2], called upon the many MEPs who supported the ban to challenge the Bureau’s decision and ensure that the current rules stay in place.
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