First topic message reminder :

Full smoking ban in Public places comes into force on 1st June 2012

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] ... g/bulletin

Somebody was not going to take any notice of the smoking ban [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

We have two bars in our small village. During the summer, most people sat outside and smoked.
As it got colder we wondered what was going to happen, as the majority of local men smoke. The newer bar allowed
smokers inside and the old one didn't. It was obviously losing a lot of business, and we felt quite sorry for the owner.
We went in a couple of evenings ago for a quick drink with a friend, guess what, smoking allowed inside!
Smoking ban, what smoking ban?

Some bars now have plastic sheeting outside with heaters which means that any smokers, or those who don't care if people smoke, now carry on as before. Naturally this only works if the area is suitable to convert. Rooms inside are largely deserted as Bulgarians are a nation of smokers.
In our village the only bar does not allow smoking inside so people have to have a 'quickie' outside in the cold. The shops which have outside areas now have most smokers taking the weather in their stride because they won't use the bar anyway because it has become 'Brits only' welcome.
I had heard that Bulgaria was about to disobey the EU ruling anyway because of loss of business.

Bulgarian hoteliers and restaurateurs threaten civil disobedience unless smoking ban laws changed


Posted Dec 12 2012 by The Sofia Globe staff in Bulgaria, News


Bulgarian hoteliers and restaurateurs will deliberately allow the breaking of the country’s law against smoking in enclosed public places unless MPs agree to an easing of the ban, Bulgarian Hotel and Restaurant Association Blagoy Ragin said ahead of a meeting of Parliament’s health committee on proposed amendments to the law.

He said that hoteliers and restaurateurs would embark on civil disobedience from December 15 to 30 if the smoking ban is not lifted.

The health committee is to meet on December 13 to consider amendments proposed by two independent MPs to revert to the law as it was before June 2012, allowing separate enclosed smoking areas in public places of entertainment.

Amid hints from some in the government that an easing of the law could be allowed to go ahead, there was increasing speculation in the Bulgarian media about the form that the possible backtrack would take.

Public broadcaster Bulgarian National Television said on December 11 that some ruling party MPs wanted the ban eased to help restaurants and businesses recover from the hit that they say they have taken because of the smoking ban.

Dian Chervenkondiev, an MP for Bulgaria’s ruling centre-right party GERB, said that probably what would be sought was what she called a “reasonable balance”, meaning a return to separate smoking and non-smoking areas.

Health Minister Desislava Atanasova has been firm in resisting any suggestion of reversing the full smoking ban, saying that public health must take precedence over all other considerations.

Representatives of the Hotel and Restaurant Association had an hour-long meeting on December 11 with Prime Minister Boiko Borissov and Atanasova and were told it was a matter for Parliament, reports said.

Ragin said that his association had held talks with MPs and about half of the MPs had been “convinced” by the association’s arguments. “But we need more support,” he said.

Some reports have suggested that possible amendments could include allowing smoking in restaurants and bars after 10pm or lifting the ban on smoking in bars.

Apart from the adamant opposition of the Health Minister and the head of Parliament’s health committee to a retreat on the smoking ban, the association Bulgaria without Smoke has called on people to support their protest on December 13 when the committee meets, to call for legislators to stand firm against easing current laws against smoking in enclosed public spaces.

Re: Smoking Ban

Bulgarian hoteliers and restaurateurs will deliberately allow the breaking of the country’s law against smoking in enclosed public places

Why change a habit of a lifetime, I noticed on my last visit that many of the restaurant owners were deliberately allowing customers to smoke and if fact doing it themselves

There are many reasons why restaurants and hotels are suffering through lack of business and it's not by any means all due to the smoking ban, but then, if they are looking for a reason/excuse for a downturn in sales then I suppose the smoking ban is as good as any

I think there are a number of other reasons why business have closed , and I don't intend to list them apart from reminding people/members of the changes in culture, attitude and the loss of many foreigners who had property and have now left, not forgetting the downturn in holiday makers, just look at the number of flights in and out of Varna airport and even the few aircraft still operating are arriving half empty and most of the Airline companies have priced themselves out of the market which reflects in the sales especially in restaurants and hotels

So it might be a good idea if they do change back to smoking and when their trade does not increase, see what the next excuse will be

oldun wrote:

Some bars now have plastic sheeting outside with heaters which means that any smokers, or those who don't care if people smoke, now carry on as before. Naturally this only works if the area is suitable to convert. Rooms inside are largely deserted as Bulgarians are a nation of smokers.
In our village the only bar does not allow smoking inside so people have to have a 'quickie' outside in the cold. The shops which have outside areas now have most smokers taking the weather in their stride because they won't use the bar anyway because it has become 'Brits only' welcome.
I had heard that Bulgaria was about to disobey the EU ruling anyway because of loss of business.

This seems a shame if there is only one bar in Mindya... many years ago when we were first looking at houses we considered Mindya and seem to recall there being at least two bars, one at the top and one in the middle did one of them shut Oldun?

To answer the last question. Yes there are still 2 bars in Mindya but they both have problems with the no-smoking and the personalities of those running them. Our villagers (and my Hero) are a hardy lot and prefer to have a smoke and their tipple outside the 2 local shops rather than use them. There are a lot of politics that go on in villages which many foreigners may not be aware of and the no-smoking ban in Bulgaria will not stop them smoking. In fact, there was a tremendous amount on national TV about the ban and there will be civil disobedience - it has already started.
I am afraid that it is the no-smoking ban that has seen the demise of so many bars and restaurants. Bulgarians fly from Sofia having no worries about using the coaches from other parts of the country which are relatively cheap, comfortable, on time and regular even through the night. They are nearly always full which argues the cost of flights which only affect mostly foreigners.
As for Brits returning to Britain - in the scheme of things they are relatively few in number compared to the number of Bulgarians eating in restaurants so I really don't think that is a valid reason for them closing. Maybe the prices they have to charge due to high rents would have more effect besides the no-smoking ban.

Maybe this will make others think in the future.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Sofia-Based Bar Fined BGN 10 000 for Breaching Smoking Ban

A Sofia-based bar has been fined BGN 10 000 for breaching the smoking ban in indoor public spaces.

The owner of the bar had to pay the fine over systematic breaches of the full smoking ban in enclosed public spaces, according to reports of TV7.

The site was issued eight statements of offense for a period of less than six months, with health inspectors saying that the owner preferred to pay fines and keep the customers satisfied.

According to data or Bulgaria's Health Ministry, as cited by the Bulgarian National Radio, the southern city of Plovdiv scores the highest number of violations of the indoor smoking ban.

Since July 1, 2012, the Plovdiv Regional Health Inspectorate has conducted 6273 inspections and issued 148 statements of offense.

According to reports of monitor.bg, Bulgarians submitted over 1340 tip-offs for breaches of the indoor smoking ban in a period of less than four months.

According to data of the Sofia Regional Health Inspectorate, over 120 000 surprise checks have been conducted since the introduction of the ban on June 1, 2012, and the authorities have issued around 2000 letters of instructions and over 400 statements of offense worth a total of over BGN 120 000.

Natural persons face a fine of BGN 300 for smoking in indoor public places, while legal persons face a penalty of BGN 3000 for a first-time offense and a fine of up to BGN 10 000 for repeat offenses.

It doesn't change my thoughts at all. My first reaction was that the bar in question must either have competition who reported them, or hasn't paid their dues to you know who. Why do I say this? I say it because having had a business in Greece - a country also very well known for corruption - I had to go to the local court to pay a fine because a local competitor was blocking my license! The court was full of businessmen who were happily paying their fines for whatever offence they had caused and laughed at my concern that I didn't want to spend our profits on fines and have to go to court anyway. This is something Brits must understand in these countries when they want to change the rules, there are ways and there are ways and its not for foreigners to interfere. Isn't that what Brits complain about in Britain when other nationalities want their own laws mentioning no names! [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

You tell it just the way it is, warts and all.

[size=85:38kafk1h]source: Written by The Sofia Globe staff on March 19, 2014 in Bulgaria

Court upholds 3000 leva fine of owner of restaurant in Bulgaria’s Rousse for smoking ban breaches
Written by The Sofia Globe staff on March 19, 2014 in Bulgaria -

The District Court in the Bulgarian city of Rousse has upheld a 3000 leva (about 1500 euro) fine imposed on the owner of a restaurant for repeated breaches of the law against smoking in enclosed public places, local media said on March 18 2014.

The ruling is subject to appeal in Bulgaria’s Supreme Administrative Court.

The fine was imposed in November 2013 after health inspectors twice found people smoking in the indoor hall of the restaurant.

The owner responded that he had told his staff not to allow people to smoke, arguing that he had complied with the law and it was individuals who had broken the law. The court rejected this argument and upheld the fine, noting that there had been a second offence.

The head of the regional health inspectorate in Rousse, Dr Margarita Nikolova, said that in the 2013, the inspectorate had imposed 136 penalties on individuals, totalling 42 150 leva and 27 fines on companies, totalling 76 000 leva.

She said that on occasion, there had been attempts to assault health inspectors, but these had been stopped after police were called to intervene.

In March 2014, two of Bulgaria’s major television stations, Bulgarian National Television and bTV, have shown news reports exposing breaches of the ban on smoking indoors at public places.

The law against smoking in enclosed public places came into force in Bulgaria in June 2012. Attempts to amend the legislation to backtrack on the ban, tabled in Parliament in 2012 and in 2013, came to nothing. Polls have shown that most Bulgarians support the indoor smoking ban.

According to official statistics, from June 2012 to the end of October 2013, the state has imposed a total of 883 523 leva in fines for breaking the law on smoking in enclosed public places such as restaurants and bars.

However, of this sum, only 41 per cent – about 364 175 leva – had been collected, it was reported in early 2014.

The fine for an individual who smokes indoors in a public place is 300 to 500 leva, and from 500 to 1000 leva for a repeat offence.

C&
P from above, According to official statistics, from June 2012 to the end of October 2013, the state has imposed a total of 883 523 leva in fines for breaking the law on smoking in enclosed public places such as restaurants and bars.

However, of this sum, only 41 per cent – about 364 175 leva – had been collected, it was reported in early 2014.

The fine for an individual who smokes indoors in a public place is 300 to 500 leva, and from 500 to 1000 leva for a repeat offence.

This is something I don't understand in Bulgaria. The courts find people guilty for various offenses, fine them a sum of money but don't collect it or enforce it
When we won our court case in the Supreme Court nearly four years ago we were awarded legal fees and court costs. In that time I have received three payments of 500 euro which is only about half of the award. All the time this system operates, letting people off and allowing them to dig their heels in, Crime and Corruption will continue

Good point Brian but do they actually fine them in the first place or is it just a ploy to make others believe they are winning.

The authorities here do fine for smoking in prohibited places but people may be un-aware that it is the proprietor that gets a fine not necessarily the smoker. Smoking outside in seated areas is common but we have not seen a smoker inside for ages.