As expected, the recent proposed amendments to the bill on health protection, which would ban smoking in public places, were not warmly welcomed by the tobacco industry. "The government should seek a balance between the desire to protect non-smokers from exposure to second-hand smoke and allowing the millions of people who do smoke to do so in some public places," reads a statement from Philip Morris (PM) Polska.

The proposed amendments would ban smoking in hospitals, schools, all work places, pubs, bars and restaurants, and in all public transport as well as in private vehicles while driving. Smoking will be allowed in separate smoking rooms in discos and bars, as well as in certain rooms in hotels.

Tobacco companies claim that the number of places where it should be legal to light up should be increased. "The worries regarding smoking in public areas can be solved using common sense and sincerity and by introducing practical solutions, such as ventilated zones for smokers and non-smokers in workplaces, restaurants and other public places," said Grażyna Sokołowska, director for corporate and legal affairs at Imperial Tobacco Polska.

"In the private business workplaces, employers should be allowed to determine the smoking policy, although the right of non-smokers to work in a non-smoking environment should be protected," PM Polska claims, proposing the establishment of smoking lounges.

The company goes even further with respect to discos, pubs and other entertainment establishments. It claims that its proprietors "should be free to decide whether to permit, restrict or prohibit smoking."