Smoking in Croatia's Coffee Bars: Don't Even Think About It!

To smoke or not to smoke is not anymore a dilemma for any regular smoker contemplating to light up a cigarette in coffee bars in Croatia. It's definitely not to smoke starting on April 10, 2010.

The Croatian government has put its foot down to anti- smoking law specifically in café bars, restaurants, hospitals, clinics, schools, universities and any public places after lifting the ban on smoking five months ago. As a strict requirement-every café bar or restaurant owners should provide a quality ventilation system to filter smoke either in bigger space or smaller than 50 square meter area.

Croatia's Ministry of Health staunch thrust on promoting healthy life in Croatia has affected a wide number of business owners who dramatically decreased its patrons due to strict anti-smoking law. Customers of café bars are perched on umbrella tables in coffee shop's terraces, makeshift platforms, and verandas or even sometimes in a corner of a street curb just to go through their normal routine of having coffee with smokes.

During sunny warm weather, sipping coffee and smoking before a picturesque nature's view is ideal especially in Europe. However, you wouldn't want to do this during cold rainy or windy days or you might end up drenched in rain, sniffling or aching with ear infection.

Bar owners are seriously wishing for fine sunny weather every single day since anti-smoking ban was implemented in the summer of 2009 as café bar's income depends primarily on the large flock of coffee drinkers enjoying outdoor pleasure. However, during low season, last part of autumn, when cold weather sets in, café bar habitués start to diminish in number. And that's when business income start to plummet down resulting to a fold up of several café bars that consequently ensued to high unemployment rates.

Upping the ante on anti-cancer health promotions ironically triggered the rise of economic cancer. Thereby, food and coffee businesses closed up and more food service attendants lost jobs because of this.

At this point, the current dilemma of business owners weighs much on whether to invest on expensive ventilation and filter system which is quite a pricy investment for an average café bar owner (prices of ventilation units ranges from 20,000 KN ($4000) -100,000 KN ($20,000) or just to take advantage of the warm spring weather and pitch umbrella tables while customers enjoy puffing away their cigarettes as they bask in the sun.

Risking to violate Croatian Ministry of Health's strict directives would cause more than just a lost of day's business income. Anybody caught by inspectors violating the law would be slapped with a fine of 5000-15,000 KN ($962 -$2885) for bar owners, waiters 500 KN ($97) and customers 1000 KN ($193). Yes, you read it right. Even customers will be fined if caught violating the anti-smoking law. Just a word of caveat to tourists visiting Croatia this summer: if you have an urge to smoke, don't even think about doing it inside the café bar.

With the excessive amount of fine set by the government, I think they have made their point clear.

For now, a vast number of smokers in Croatia believed to be approximately 1.2 million people about 30% of the population certainly would not be the happiest people on earth on April 9, 2010 when this law gets its first day's tight grip on smokers. Utterly, this hefty amount of fine is not worth the risk- health wise and business wise.

But, you'll never know-this new anti-smoking law might pave the way to a positive resolve for Croatian nationals. In fact, according to British American Tobacco, in France after the outset of smoking ban in 2007 plus the high prices of cigarettes, a sudden drop of cigarette sales was noted in 2008. And if it happened in France, it could happen in Croatia too.

Lighting up a cigarette is your own personal choice. Unfortunately with this new anti-smoking law in Croatia, starting on Saturday, April 10, 2010, there is not much of a choice except you stay outdoors or maybe…kiss your last cigarette goodbye.

Whatever it is-everything is up to you.