Smoking in restaurants and pubs in the Czech Republic could become illegal
from January 2016, under a bill being prepared by the Minister of Health,
Svatopluk Němeček, for presentation to the government later this year.
Mr. Němeček has drawn on a previous unsuccessful amendment put forward by
a predecessor, Leoš Heger, but has made some changes to the draft
legislation, including adding a provision under which electronic cigarettes
would be permitted in eateries. An estimated 30 percent of Czechs smoke,
with around 18,000 people dying as a result of smoking in the Czech
Republic every year.