The Bulgarian government intends to increase the excise tax for cigarettes as early as 2008 in a bid to reduce demand.

Health officials also said that a total ban on smoking in enclosed public places will come into effect in Bulgaria in 2009 at the earliest.
The measures are part of the a national program for combating smoking from 2007 to 2010, and further include the opening of a hotline for all those who want to quit smoking.
A one-year grace period will be given to the businesses managing restaurants and disco clubs to make the necessary changes to ban smoking and meet the tobacco-free requirement, reports the Bulgarian news agency, Novinite. The ban currently covers public transport, taxis, cinema halls, offices as well as non-smoking areas in restaurants and bars, but it is more often broken than observed.