The changes in the healthcare law, introduced to the government and discussed by the parliament for the first time today, will enforce a restriction on smoking in public places, beginning June 1st 2010.

After that date, smokers will be able to smoke their cigarettes only on the street or in their homes. These limitations are all laid out in the law project.

“Bulgaria has to follow the laws and regulations of the European Union, and the overall tendency is to limit and reduce smoking everywhere”, commented the minister of healthcare dr. Evgenii Zhelev. The minister also noted that Bulgaria is among the European countries with the largest percentage of smokers.