73% of Maltese want smoking ban in open-air places

Twenty years on from the introduction of Malta’s smoking ban in bars and restaurants, a recently published Eurobarometer survey has now shown widespread agreement with a ban on smoking in public spaces such as parks, beaches, and the entrance of public spaces where social distancing cannot be enforced.

While in the EU as a whole, 56% support such a measure, in Malta a whopping 73% agree with the kind of ban.

A majority of Maltese (52%) also support a ban on e-cigarette flavours in contrast to just 43% in the EU as a whole.

92% of Maltese also report exposure to smoking in these public spaces, compared to 69% of all EU respondents. 81% report smoking on bus termini.

The survey shows that slightly more than a fifth (22%) of the Maltese population smokes cigarettes while 3% smoke e-cigarettes. The percentage of smokers in Malta is slightly lower than that in the whole EU (24%). But the percentage of smokers has increased by 2 points compared to 2021.

The percentage of current smokers is lowest in Sweden (8%), Denmark (14%), and Finland (15%) and highest in Greece (36%), Croatia (35%), and Romania (34%). E-cigarette use is also highest in Greece (8%).

The percentage of smokers is higher among those who struggle with paying bills (39%) than among those who have no difficulty paying bills (20%). The situation is similar to that in other EU member states, where the poorest segment of the population is also more likely to have a smoking habit.

Across Europe, respondents who consider themselves as belonging to the working class were the most likely to say that they currently smoke (33%) while those identifying with the upper middle class the least likely (19%).

The percentage of smokers is also higher among males (26%) and those aged 25-29 (31%). But significantly, only 11% of those aged between 15 and 24 smoke, in contrast to 22% of EU respondents in the same age group.

Malta’s ban on smoking in bars and restaurants had been introduced in 2004 by the health ministry, amid criticism from businesses, with the General Retailers and Traders’ Union threatening to defy the law because of penalties that included withdrawal of

trading licences. At the time, the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association complained that the legal notice had been passed without any consultation. The Chamber of Commerce had also voiced concerns about the regulations.

At the time, the health minister Louis Deguara had insisted that the law reflected the expressed wish of over 80% of the Maltese public in respect of the introduction of smoking restrictions.