EXPLAINED: How Austria plans to curb cigarette smoking

In Austria, one in five people over the age of 15 smokes every day. In addition, around six percent of the population are occasional smokers, according to Statistik Austria data.

Cigarette smoking and any measures to curb it are controversial topics in the country. Austria was one of the last countries in Europe to ban smoking indoors in bars and restaurants back in 2019 - and there are still small groups against the measure. However, the Ministry of Health defends that it has "continuously" restricted cigarette smoking aiming to reduce the number of smokers.

At the end of last year, Health Minister Johannes Rauch surprised Austrians, stating that the smoking ban would be "extended" in 2023, as The Local reported.

So, what are the government's plans?

'Outdoor public areas'

Rauch said that a new amendment to the Tobacco and Non-Smoker Protection Act is being worked on. Among other things, it provides for an Austria-wide extension of the smoking ban to "additional outdoor public places" such as "children's playgrounds and recreational areas for children and young people".

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There are also plans to regulate so-called nicotine pouches - small packets pushed under the upper lip that deliver nicotine and flavours (but not tobacco). They have become increasingly popular, especially among younger people.

The debate is coming up again with force since Italy also announced plans to ban smoking in outdoor public places, including outdoor tables in bars and restaurants. Italian Health Minister Orazio Schillaci said that smoking cigarettes would be prohibited in “open-air places in the presence of minors and pregnant women”, according to The Local Italy.

Plans in Austria

The Austrian newspaper Der Standard asked the Ministry of Health for an update on the plans for the country. In a written statement, the Ministry said the law is going through "internal tuning" within the government, but there were no plans on when a draft would be ready for approval.

However, the newspaper said that plans for Austria are not as "strict" as those in Italy. For example, bans in the outdoor areas of restaurants and bars are not even being considered, but only in public buildings or other outdoor public spaces where children and teenagers spend more time - such as playgrounds. 

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According to Rauch's office, preventive measures such as bans must be "widely discussed in society so that they also find the necessary acceptance". The actions taken so far, which "benefit the health of the population," are now "widely accepted by society", the government said.

General scepticism over an outdoor ban 

It's not just the Health Ministry led by the Greens that sees a general ban with scepticism; coalition partners ÖVP and even opposition parties are also against it.

"We reject a general smoking ban in the open air or Schanigärten," a spokesman for the People's Party ÖVP told Der Standard. Schanigärten are the guest gardens in bars and restaurants. The far-right party opposes any smoking prohibition - including one in outdoor areas. 

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The liberal party Neos are critical of a general extension of the smoking ban to all pub gardens and all bus stops along the lines of the Italian model. "Mere bans - without at the same time also raising awareness of addiction policy and the interrelated discussion of mental health - will never be sufficiently effective against addictive diseases and addictive substances," said a spokesperson.

Centre-left SPÖ, although in favour of a ban near places where children and teenagers are, would be opposed to other prohibitions. "Our goal is not to allow smoking de facto only within one's own four walls, where there is often no balcony, and there may be children living," the party said in a release.