Bulgaria waters down smoking ban

Bulgaria's parliament has watered down a proposed smoking ban for all public areas out of fears it could damage the country's key tourist and restaurant business.

The ruling centre-right party, GERB, has backed a relaxed version of the law, which empowers owners of establishments of up to 50 square metres to decide whether their places will be smoking or non-smoking. Smoking areas in larger cafes and restaurants may not take more than a half of the total area. Public buildings such as m...