- Germany edition
- Change edition:
- France |
- Norway |
- Spain |
- Sweden |
- Switzerland
Bavaria votes on total smoking ban
Published: 4 Jul 10 13:56 CET | Print version
Online: http://www.thelocal.de/society/20100704-28287.html
The state of Bavaria is holding a referendum on Sunday to decide whether to impose a complete ban on smoking in all restaurants and bars. It would be the strictest ban in Germany.
- German parties get record state handouts (13 May 13)
- 'Germans are nice thanks to my Ami accent' (13 May 13)
- Cops stop speeding car with dog at wheel (10 May 13)
Since it was decided that the smoking ban came under the jurisdiction of individual states, Germany has taken a piecemeal approach to a ban that is already in effect in much of Europe. Different states have different regulations, with exceptions made for various types of bar, but no state has imposed an absolute ban.
Bavarian state premier Horst Seehofer said he hoped that Sunday's plebiscite would conclude a debate that has wracked the state for nearly five years. The vote "will have a pacifying effect on society," he said. "And then we'll have some peace!"
If the pro-smoking faction wins, then Bavaria's existing law will remain in place, which allows smoking in beer-tents, one-room bars and designated rooms.
Seehofer himself has remained neutral throughout the campaign. According to a report in news magazine Der Spiegel, this is because his party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), has "had its fingers burnt" taking sides on the issue in the past. Bavaria's ruling party lost its absolute majority in the 2008 state parliament elections, partly because it backed a cross-party total smoking ban in December 2007.
Forced into a coalition with the neo-liberal Free Democratic Party (FDP), Seehofer subsequently loosened the ban and allowed certain exceptions.
This resulted in a massive anti-smoking campaign in Bavaria, which collected 1.3 million signatures and thus triggered Sunday's referendum. If the anti-smoking campaign is successful, the total ban would automatically come into effect on August 1, though there would be an amnesty for this year's Oktoberfest.
The Local (news@thelocal.de)
What do you think? Leave your comment below.
Tax evasion 'ok for Joe Normal' say Germans
Although Germans express outrage when wealthy or famous people evade taxes, many of them do the same themselves, albeit on a smaller scale, a new survey shows. READ () »
Grey seals return to German Baltic shores
The small population of grey seals on the Baltic Sea has increased significantly, with hopes rising that they may start breeding soon, conservationists reported on Wednesday. READ () »
Cop faces charges for punching woman
German state prosecutors filed on Wednesday charges against a policeman who punched a woman in the face, breaking her nose and eye socket while she was at a Munich police station in January. READ () »
Police raid suspected leftist extremists
Police on Wednesday carried out raids across several German states at more than 20 properties, which they believe are connected to a network of leftist extremists responsible for carrying out attacks over more than a decade. READ () »
NSU known as neo-Nazi 'terror cell' before killings
German intelligence services had identified neo-Nazi gang the National Socialist Underground (NSU) as a “terror cell” months before members killed their first victim in 2000, a secret document condemning the state's inaction has revealed. READ () »
'I hate Wagner but I hate him on my knees'
Germany is celebrating the 200th anniversary of the birth of Richard Wagner on Wednesday. Probably the country's most revered and reviled composer, the man considered an anti-Semitic musical genius is The Local's German of the Week. READ () »
Rösler wants dual citizenship for IT talent
German Economy Minister Philipp Rösler appealed to top US university students this week to consider Germany as the place to start their IT careers and called for tech entrepreneurs to be offered dual citizenship. READ () »
Social Democrats seek revival on 150th b-day
Germany's Social Democrats, trailing behind the conservatives in the polls just months ahead of the elections, are looking to relaunch themselves as they celebrate their 150th anniversary later this week. READ () »
- 23/05 Tax evasion 'ok for Joe Normal' say Germans »
- 23/05 Grey seals return to German Baltic shores »
- 22/05 'I hate Wagner but I hate him on my knees' »
- 22/05 New in German cinemas: 'Fast & Furious 6' »
- 22/05 Justin Bieber's monkey becomes 'German' »
- 21/05 The Doors keyboardist Ray Manzarek dies at 74 »
- 20/05 20,000 Goths gather in Leipzig »
- 20/05 Pricey Reichstag visitor centre scrapped »
- 19/05 Did Merkel's politics hurt Germany at Eurovision? »
- 19/05 Wagner descendant slams composer »
- 22/05 Femen mock writer's suicide at Notre Dame »
- 22/05 France to spend €20m on embassy security »
More news from France at thelocal.fr
More news from Norway at thelocal.no
- 23/05 Mixed results for Sweden refugee job push »
- 23/05 Swedish pressure needed on Assange: accuser »
More news from Sweden at thelocal.se
- 22/05 Billionaires' biotech centre set for Geneva »
- 22/05 Court upholds appeals against holiday homes »
More news from Switzerland at thelocal.ch
See all ads | Join the Marketplace
-
PsyShrink Frankfurt
The Expat Psychologists in Munich, Frankfurt and worldwide -
British Corner Shop
British Corner Shop - The online supermarket for expats -
PsyShrink Munich
The Expat Psychologists in Munich, Frankfurt and worldwide -
Shiply Worldwide Ltd
Shiply the Online Transport Market Place -
Weiss Institut
Free yourself from Smoking addictions, Sugar craving and Alcohol addictions -
Chambervelt Rooselain & Cie Ltd.
Insurance and financial planning for English speakers in Germany
871 jobs available
590 new jobs this week
1 new job today
- Knowledge Expert (f/m): People & Organization practice
- Pre Development Physicist
- Manager QA Validierung (w/m)
- Origination & Sales Manager
- Payments Specialist (m/f)
- Engineer, Information System Security (m/f)
- IT Technician / Web Developer
- Field Application Engineer / Field Sales Engineer (m/f)
- LED Sales / Marketing (Junior) Manager (m/f)
- Junior Team Assistant / Office Manager (M/F)
- Apr/09 Touring Tempelhof – Europe’s Largest Historical Monument
- Apr/09 Spring in Berlin 2013 – Where, What Why and When!
- Mar/12 Living Like a Local – Tell us what you think and win a weekend in Berlin!
- Feb/04 Escaping the City – Our Recommended Suburban Getaways
- Feb/04 Berlin Tegel Airport Transfers – How to get into the City
Dating
Looking for your own blonde bombshell? Or is the strong, silent type more your
style? Find a German sweetheart here.
Weather
"After clouds comes clear weather," say the Germans. But what about after that? Find out in The Local's weather
section.
Blog
German stuff that's distracting us today.
Noticeboard
Whether you want to buy, sell, hire, announce or promote something, here's the place to do it - completely free of
charge.
Discuss
Debate the news, ask for advice, make friends - or just let off steam.
Register now for:
> Free use of noticeboard
> Special discounts
> Weekly news roundup
> Unlimited use of discuss
- Food trucks – meals on wheels
Small mobile restaurants are starting to catch on in Germany and they are often far more than your average snack wagons with Currywurst and Pommes. - “Preserve the proven, shape the new” – the International Bach Academy in Stuttgart
For more than thirty years, Helmuth Rilling shaped the international Bach Academy; now he is succeeded by Hans-Christoph Rademann. - ‘Open Mike’ – Fireworks with the Buddha
The Berlin ‘Open Mike’ entered this year its twentieth edition. - On the Stage, the Spoken Word Prevails
In January 2013 the annual meeting of the Dramaturgical Society took place in Munich; its theme: “Speaking on Stage – and about Theatre”... - The Magician of Images – Klaus Ensikat
With the technique of an Old Master and subtle humour, the award-winning graphic designer and illustrator Klaus Ensikat has for fifty years produced ingenious illustrations for literary classics and children’s books....
- Frankfurt's Skyscrapers: A Guide
Frankfurt is known for banks and skyscrapers. So what is behind the colossal glass, steel, and stone facades of the city’s buildings? Meet Frankfurt’s tallest. - Conference - Pioneers on Dual Training Abroad
Germany‘s system of dual training is one of the foundations of its economic strength. - The all-German final in Wembley
Bayern München and Borussia Dortmund are playing in the final of the Champions League at London’s Wembley Stadium. - German first feature film in Cannes
A directorial debut from Germany makes it to the competition “Un Certain Regard” at the famous film festival on the Côte d’Azur. - Traveling Germany: Europa-Park
Think theme parks:Roller coasters, colorful rides, entertainment, thrills. Think Germany: Europa-Park is the largest amusement park in the country, second in Europe only to Disneyland Paris.
- Theatre festival between the Saar and the Mosel
The Festival Perspectives in the German-French region around Saarbrücken is staging European theatre, dance and music productions. - The European Year of Citizens
2013 is the European Year of Citizens. - Europe Day, Robert Schuman and Class 4a
Enthusiasm for the idea of Europe – in the 60th European Competition, schoolchildren from Germany show what this could look like. - Relief organizations
The portals presented here provide information on the help programs offered by different organizations.
- ADMINISTRATION COORDINATOR (German and English proficiency)
- Design Engineer Aerospace in Toulouse
- Design Feasibility Engineer / Craftsmanship Engineer (m/f)
- Instrument Developer in Research and Development (m/f)
- Java Developer (m/w) for Search Engine (Lucene)
- Junior/Senior Controller (w/m) Service/Vetriebscontrolling
- Patent Attorney (m/f)
- Praxisstudent/-in Fleet Management Project
- Product Manager / Engineer (m/w) for our Search Engine
- Research Scientist, Scouting HVAC, Building Technology & Energy Management
- 19/05 Car Boot Sale Herford
- 17/05 paid internship
- 17/05 Florida resident seeks job in baden Baden Germany
- 17/05 Berlin Writing Group
- 17/05 cheap car hire
- 15/05 Queen size bed & frame
- 08:03 Where to find Goo Gone
- 07:58 Quo vadis, France?
- 07:56 What does this sign mean?
- 07:52 Translators' meetup, monthly networking event
- 07:29 Time required to find an apartment in Stuttgart
- 04:58 Help for Dyslexia in School
- 01:15 Chinese and Hong Kong nationals in Munich
- 00:49 Interest in opening a bar/grill in HH
- 00:30 What do you like about the German public schools?
- 00:30 M-Net not switched on due to Telekom delay
Start trading shares, equities, forex, etc. No commission on equities; Low min. margins. Apply for a CFDs account now!
'Charming, old, beamed cottage for holiday let in Jesus Pobre, Alicante, Spain
www.littlehouseinspain.com/
Professional and qualified consultancy on all insurance and finance matters in Germany, Telephone: +49 2163 571 1740, Email: bg@albatross-assurance.com
www.albatross-assurance.com
Visiting Berlin anytime soon? Book your hotel in Berlin here.
For home-from-home holiday accommodation, search for a Berlin apartment to rent.
Your comments about this article:
Amnesty, for october fest? Ha ha ha, that was fun!
I feel they have gone too far. But as every one knows the government was buisy drinking when they should be thinking.
I mean it's no different than the nanny state that the U.S. is turning into.
I hope all the smokers win.
It would be nice if there were smokers' pubs and non-smoking pubs, but when pubs have an exemption from the Gaststätte smoking ban, they all opt to go smoking. Non-smokers can't find a smoke-free pub.
In Berlin, virtually all pubs are smoking. Though they could choose to be non-smoking, they don't. If you want to go out for a beer and drink it in a smoke-free environment, you have to do it at a restaurant.
And difference between the smell of wine and secondhand cigarette smoke is that the smell of wine isn't killing anyone. The secondhand smoke is. Besides, the very purpose of a pub is to serve beer and wine. So, it should probably smell like beer and wine. Smoke is unrelated to its purpose. If we were talking about smokers' clubs or cigar bars, I would completely understand the fact that they smell like smoke. That's their business.
Nevertheless, it's much much cheaper. I gave it to my father on his birthday and since then he saves around a hundred Dollars each month. He tells me its great that he can decide on his own how much nicotine he inhales (the cartridges come in 0-16 mg nic.).
My mum also loves it, because the "smoke" is mainly composed of water-vapor, so now she doesent need to send my dad outside each time he wants to smoke, haha. You can check them out on www.greensmoke.com/disc10-18621 , this link contains a 10% discount.
There is an upfront cost for the starters kit, but the cartridges are more than 50% cheaper than cigarettes, so in the end you'll only save money. Try it, I cant see how you'll be disappointed. Furthermore, they offer every customer a 30 day money guarantee, meaning if you dont like it you can return it without having to pay any cost.
Oh, but it won't affect that twenty-year-old serving me now...??? She's free to decide not to serve me and become an airframe-fitter or...
Now the inirtiators of this effort, drunk on power, can't mind their own business and want to force the rest of Germany to follow suit.
It's bad enough that so many freedoms have gone by the wayside due to governmental regulations, but it's really depressing when the 'people' join in on the same bandwagon of limiting options and restricting choice.
And I'm not a smoker BTW. I'm just so bored of all the hypocrisy. If it's okay to drink yourself to oblivion almost everywhere, surely it's okay to light up a cigarette in a specially designated area.
Will there be Raucherclubs again?
@vonSchwerin: if there are enough non-smokers who demand non-smoking pubs, there'll be non-smoking pubs. Why do you think all the Berlin pubs are smoking ones? And by the way, secondhand smoke is a myth.