The European Commissioner on Health and Consumer Policy John Dali has welcomed the complete ban on tobacco smoking inside public areas in Bulgaria. John Dali met with members of the parliamentary Healthcare and European Affairs Committees and with the Bulgarian Minister of Health Stefan Konstantinov.

“I am very glad of and fully support the initiative of the Bulgarian government to ban smoking” John Dali stated before journalists.

The health minister Konstantinov has thanked the parliamentary committees for their unanimous support for the ban. The complete ban on smoking covers all indoor public spaces and such near school yards and playgrounds for children and takes effect as of June 1st, 2012.

Commissioner Dali proposed that Bulgarian citizens consider the experience of states that had ban smoking indoors already, saying the ban shows convincing positive results on the healthcare system and a considerable decrease of the cardiovascular diseases. He noted he believes the same to happen in Bulgaria as well. He pointed out the example of Spain, where after the imposition of the ban on smoking the use of cigarettes went dawn by 17 %.  He noted the ban is not against the tobacco producers but is beneficial to the people’s health. He continued saying that ban on smoking is only one of the measures undertaken by the European Commission, along with  the ones to fight overweight and alcohol addiction. Dali also mentioned the efforts of the commission, together with food producers, to limit sugar and fats contents and consumption and their labeling on food products.