Although Croatia is considered the home to Europe’s most inveterate smokers, the local government recently implemented a new indoor smoking policy that experts define as one of the toughest anti-smoking legislation across the Southern European Countries. The latter law has split Croatians into supporters and opponents.

Sitting on a patio of one of the numerous Zagreb cafes, Stipe Ancic, a 35-year-old buss-driver says that he knows about the hazards of smoking and all the related health complications as well as the secondhand smoke, but as he is living in a democratic country and that is his own right to smoke, that is his pleasure and a means for relaxation. 

Ancic as well admitted that smoking has been an issue of habit, of local mentality, since people in the Balkan countries have been accustomed to light up a cigarette with a cup of coffee or a beer.

According to the approximate estimations of the World Health Organization, 30-40 percent of all adult population in the region are die-hard smokers, severely addicted on cigarettes; what makes an especial concern for the WHO, which celebrates "World No Tobacco Day" for the first time this weekend.

However, the owners of thousands eating establishments throughout Croatia have been deeply concerned with the latest law, banning smoking in all enclosed public buildings, has been implemented at the worst time possible for their restaurants, while the country is already suffering deeply from the recession and the financial crisis.

The legislation, which prohibits smoking all indoor public buildings, among which are countless cafes and restaurants, came into legal force earlier in May.  

This legislation follows regulations approved by the European Union, the organization that Croatia seeks to join within two years.

According to the Croatia Association of Tourism and Hospitality, restaurants, cafes and nightclubs would be hurt the most by the ban, stated Mirko Petrovic, chaiman of the Association, which counts almost 16,000 businesses and employs around 100,000 people, being one of the leading industries in the economy.

"The current declines in the revenue figures are not so significant, however with starting of the tourist season they would definitely be larger-than-life,” admitted Petrovic. 

"Owners are already hit by the economic downturn and the new legislation will simply burn them down," he also said, anticipating that a major part of small businesses might be threatened with bankruptcy at the beginning of the autumn when it would be colder outside and customers would prefer being inside the cafes.  

At the same time with implementing the ban on public smoking, the Croatia Ministry of Public Health issued the results of nationwide survey, revealing that 32 percent of Croatia population, counting 4.4 million residents, smokes cigarettes on regular basis.  

However, some visitors at the Mila Pamana café in the center of Zagreb, including 60-year-old retiree Jelena, perceive the indoor smoking ban as a breath of clean air that will set them free of secondhand smoke.

When the sun shining brightly on Mila Pamana’s large patio, manager Janko Seleskovic was delighted with so many visitors, meaning that it would be another successful day of in anticipation of what he believes will inevitably become a “disaster” for his small business when the warm weather ends.

Inside the cafe is almost empty, while the patio that has 150 seats is packed with customers with many of them smoking.

"Fortunately, the number of visitors has not declined yet, since we have a comfortable terrace, where they prefer to seat enjoying the sun and their smokes, however in winter it would be impossible," Seleskovic admitted.

There are 15 people working at Mila Pamana, and the owner says he has a little hope he will not fire many of them when the tourist season ends.

World Health Organization has launched the "World No Tobacco Day" drawing attention to the warnings of health complications caused by smoking and placed on every cigarette pack, encouraging smokers to kick their unhealthy habit down.