Skopje, 17 January 2026 (MIA) — By banning smoking in indoor public spaces, the Ministry of Health's draft Law on Protection Against Smoking will protect workers' right to a safe and healthy workplace in accordance with European standards and World Health Organization recommendations, establishing a clear and universal rule that protects all citizens without exceptions, health authorities said in a press release Saturday.

According to the release, the law does not impinge on anyone's right to smoke, which is personal choice. However, smoking puts not only smokers' lives at risk but the lives of everyone around the person smoking, so it will be banned at public indoor spaces to protect people's health.

"Indoor air quality is directly related to health outcomes. Clean air means less respiratory tract irritation, fewer asthma attacks and a reduced risk of developing chronic diseases," the release said.

The antismoking bill sees exposure to tobacco smoke as a matter of occupational safety and health and not as a matter of lifestyle, health authorities said. 

"In hospitality venues, it is the staff who are exposed to cigarette smoke and other tobacco and nicotine products the longest, which is why the state has a clear duty to protect the right of employees to a healthy and safe working environment," the release said.

"The experiences of European countries that have already introduced such legal solutions, such as Ireland, the United Kingdom and many others, show that these measures are not a blow to the hospitality industry and its revenues, but rather a transition to a more orderly, higher-quality and more predictable environment in hospitality facilities," Health Minister Azir Aliu is quoted as saying in the release.

According to Aliu, the clean air in smoke-free hospitality venues will draw in more families, tourists and citizens who prefer to breathe clean air, which in the long run will directly benefit the hospitality industry as well. mr/