As of 1 July, Greece has introduced a nationwide ban on smoking in indoor public areas, including hospitals, schools and vehicles.

Cafes, restaurants and bars in establishments of less than 70 square meters must opt to be either smoking or non-smoking venues, while bigger establishments can have clearly identified and ventilated smoking areas.
Smokers who are caught breaking the new law risk fines of up to EUR 500. On the first offence, businesses will be fined EUR 1,000. Repeat offenders will face even bigger fines, and ultimately, on the fourth violation, could risk losing their licence.
The health ministry claims that 83 per cent of Greeks applaud the measure and is already talking about a possible upgrade in January 2010. "We will try this measure out for six months and do not be surprised if we expand it further," Greek health minister Dimitris Avramopoulos said. But he admits that, due to civil disobedience, one cannot be sure if the measures really work. Greece had introduced two previous smoking bans this decade, which, however, were widely ignored.
With 40 per cent of the population smoking, Greece is the EU’s heaviest smoking nation. With this ban, the country attempts to reduce tobacco consumption and the annual EUR 2 billion spent on smoking-related illnesses. (pi)