Lithuanian Parliament votes to ban smoking on balconies

On October 1, 2020, the Lithuanian Parliament voted in favor of banning smoking on balconies of apartment buildings across the country. This new law will come into effect on January 1, 2021.

From 1 January 2021, smoking on the balcony or terrace of one's private home within an apartment building will be banned in Lithuania unless a resident of the building objects. Lithuanian parliamentarians voted in favour of this ban in a vote on 1 October 2020 [1].

"A fundamental right to be healthy," says Health Minister Aurelijus Veryga

The bill, presented by the Lithuanian Agrarian Union and the Greens – the political party leading the government coalition – received broad support in Parliament: it received 69 votes in favour, with only 4 votes against and 7 abstentions.2].

Lithuanian Health Minister Aurelijus Veryga justified the new law by saying: "It is not just a question of unpleasant smell, but a question of public health, a fundamental right to be healthy."3]. Despite significant public anti-tobacco policies implemented in recent years that have led to a decrease in the prevalence of smoking in Lithuania, this country of 2.7 million inhabitants still deplores more than 5,000 smoking-related deaths each year, and has nearly 615,000 daily smokers, 4,000 of whom are between 10 and 14 years old [4].

An unprecedented law that raises questions about its implementation

By passing this law, Lithuania is an exception in Europe and the world. For example, in France, the only available lever for action for a resident bothered by the cigarette smoke of another resident of their building is to have an olfactory nuisance recorded as an "abnormal neighborhood disturbance" [5].

The law adopted by the Lithuanian Parliament, however, raises many questions, particularly regarding its implementation. Indeed, the municipalities, which will be responsible for enforcing this law, believe that it will be difficult to apply real control over this ban, which concerns the private sphere. Interviewed by the Lithuanian public media LRT, a representative of the municipality of Vilnius, the country's capital, stressed that fining offenders "will be impossible, because it is a private place."6].

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[1] Marielle Vitureau, Neighborhood. In Lithuania, smoking is banned on balconies., Courrier international (October 2, 2020, accessed November 10, 2020). [2] Lauryna Vireliūnaitė, The new kit is on the bus side and is on the other side of the road – but it is built at the same time., 15 min (October 1, 2020, accessed November 10, 2020). [3] Marielle Vitureau, Neighborhood. In Lithuania, smoking is banned on balconies., Courrier international (October 2, 2020, consulted November 10, 2020). [4] Lithuania, The Tobacco Atlas (accessed November 10, 2020). [5] Neighborhood disturbances: olfactory nuisances (odors), www.service-public.fr (December 30, 2019, consulted November 10, 2020). [6] Marielle Vitureau, Neighborhood. In Lithuania, smoking is banned on balconies., Courrier international (October 2, 2020, consulted November 10, 2020). DNF - For a Zero Tobacco World |