An official delegation from Georgia was in Romania this week to discuss with the local authorities about how Romania implemented the smoking ban in public spaces, as Georgia is also to implement a similar law, the Romanian Ministry of Health announced.

The Georgian delegation, composed of public health experts, representatives of the Ministry of the Interior and civil society, accompanied by the representative of Georgia's Office of the World Health Organization, had meetings with the Romanian Secretary of State for the Ministry of Health Rodica Nassar and Romanian experts in tobacco control from the National Public Health Institute. They talked about how smoke-free public places work, the procedures involved, the compliance rates, and the institutional problems or barriers Romania encountered during the implementation of the smoke-free law.

The Georgian public authorities, supported by the World Health Organization, have worked on new legislation on smoking control, which will come into force on May 1.

The smoking ban in all enclosed public spaces entered into force in Romania in mid-March 2016. Currently, 17 out of the 28 states of the European Union completely ban smoking in enclosed public spaces, public transport and the workplace.

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Irina Marica, irina.marica@romania-insider.com