Despite implementing a ban on smoking in indoor public spaces 14 years ago, Greece continues to struggle with widespread defiance, as many Greeks persist in lighting up in bars, clubs, and other enclosed areas, the New York Times reports.
The country, which has one of the highest smoking rates in Europe, is also pushing back against European Union recommendations to expand smoking restrictions to outdoor spaces, part of a broader effort to create a “tobacco-free generation” by 2040.
Greece banned smoking indoors in 2010 and tightened enforcement in 2019, introducing fines of up to €10,000 for businesses and €100 for individuals, along with a hotline for reporting violations. Authorities conducted over 3,300 inspections in 2023 and issued fines totaling €529,400. While officials claim the ban has been largely successful, critics argue enforcement remains inadequate.
“Inspections are insufficient,” said Panagiotis Behrakis, a pulmonologist and founder of Smoke Free Greece.
He noted that many businesses exploit loopholes by enclosing outdoor areas with plastic sheeting, allowing smoking to persist in technically open spaces.
The resistance to the ban is rooted in cultural attitudes, habit, and defiance.
“When a smoker knows there are gaps in the system they can exploit, they’re going to do it,” said Stathis Papachristou, a psychologist with the National Public Health Organization.
Tobacco-related illnesses remain a major health issue in Greece. A European Commission report found that smoking accounted for about 20% of deaths in the country in 2019. More than a third of Greeks smoke, second only to Bulgaria within the European Union.
Despite this, many citizens remain indifferent to the risks of secondhand smoke. Nonsmokers like Katerina Theofilou, 29, often tolerate smoky environments for the sake of socializing.
“I’m out to have a good time, not report people,” she said.
Some smokers, like I.T. worker Spiros Manakis, view the restrictions as overreach.
“The state doesn’t have the right to ban smoking,” he said.
Manakis described himself as a “committed smoker” who has no intention of quitting.
Greece has resisted calls to extend smoking bans to outdoor areas, with officials citing a lack of evidence about the impact on public health and concerns about economic repercussions. Health Minister Adonis Georgiadis defended Greece’s abstention from a recent EU vote on the issue, emphasizing the need for further studies before implementing broader restrictions.
“It’s one thing to have a strict policy,” Georgiadis said, “and quite another to harm businesses, tourism, and livelihoods without clear evidence of benefits.”
Experts say the key to enforcing the smoking ban lies in shifting public attitudes.
“We can’t have an inspector over each smoker,” Papachristou said. “We need to change the Greek mentality that your neighbor is obliged to inhale your smoke.”
For now, however, smoking remains a deeply ingrained part of Greek social life. At some bars, like the one owned by unapologetic chain-smoker Nikos Louvros, smoking is the norm.
“Whoever comes here knows they can smoke,” Louvros said.
