Will smoking in restaurants be prohibited if Malta joins the EU?
The EU does not have a law which prohibits smoking in restaurants, although it encourages member states to do so. This does not apply only to restaurants, but more importantly to public places such as hospitals, schools, cinemas, ports and airports. In such places smoking should either be totally forbidden or allowed only in designated areas. Although this EU recommendation is not legally binding, many member states have taken the initiative to prohibit smoking in public places.
In Malta, smoking in most public places is already prohibited, but so far we do not prohibit smoking in restaurants.
The Malta-EU Information Centre have kindly offered to answer any questions you may have about EU consumer-related issues. If you do have any questions write to me.