Extended smoking ban opposed by Spanish catering industry

The Spanish catering industry recently voiced its opposition to a government plan to extend smoking ban to bars and enclosed public spaces.

The new ban would bring the country in line with other European countries like Ireland, France, Italy and Britain.

However, the catering industry is worried about the economic consequences of such a ban for a sector already suffering from the current financial turmoil.

"It will ruin the catering industry. We are not in favor of tobacco, but we are against big economic losses," Jose Maria Rubio, president of the Federacion Espanola de Hosteleria (FEHR), said.

"It will mean the closure of thousands of businesses, the loss of jobs and financial ruin," he said, noting that a quarter of bars closed between 2004 and 2008 in Ireland, after a smoking ban was introduced in that country.

According to the FEHR, around 70,000 of Spain's 360,000 bars would have to close should a ban be introduced in the country. Moreover, about one sixth of the people, or 200,000, who work in the catering sector would lose their jobs.

Smoking is the biggest killer in Spain with about 8.3 percent of its people dying of lung cancer, according to the government.

Source: Xinhua