Austrians loath to stub out nation's smoking habit

In the wood-paneled rooms of Vienna's traditional coffee houses, tobacco-lovers can still light up pretty much as they please. But one of the last smokers' havens in Europe may soon have to kick the habit.

Even diehard smokers arriving in Austria are shocked at the clouds of blue haze filling bars and restaurants, long after the rest of Europe has stubbed out puffing in public places.

A partial smoking ban came into force in Austria in January 2009, but the list of exceptions was long.

Small cafes and eateries under 50 square meters can ignore the ban, while larger establishments need only provide a non-smoking section.

Many punters simply prop the doors open and carry on puffing regardless, prompting self-proclaimed "sheriffs" to patrol the streets and file complaints.

"The current law was set up to fail," says Manfred Neuberger, a professor at Vienna's Medical University who has led several studies on smoking bans in Europe and Austria.

But the anti-smoking camp is set for a boost after Austria's newly appointed Health Minister Sabine Oberhauser called for a total ban on smoking in public places within the next five years.

"I would like to finalize this now, agree to a transition period and have a total ban in place by a deadline - the aim being within five years," she said in a recent interview.

Her plan is likely to run into resistance, and she admits no decision will be taken without involving the hospitality industry, which strongly opposes a ban.

Many agree, however, that it's time for some clarity.

"This law we have, I find it pretty ridiculous: Either you have a ban, or you don't. This just doesn't suit anyone," said 38-year-old Roman, who sat in the landmark Cafe Drechsler in central Vienna.

The Viennese institution bade farewell to smokers after a court ordered it to make the path to the toilets smoke-free, which would have required costly alterations.

But it is a rarity. Even Vienna's General Hospital has a "Tabak" selling cigarettes right at the entrance.

Heavy smokers

Cigarettes are significantly cheaper in Austria than elsewhere in western Europe at an average of 4.90 euros ($6.30) per pack, compared with seven euros in France or 8.60 pounds ($14) in Britain.

Austrians are the fourth-heaviest smokers in Europe, according to the latest Eurobarometer poll in 2012.

Thirty-three percent of people in the small alpine country light up on a regular basis, compared with an EU average of 28 percent and far more than the French or Italians. Only Greeks, Bulgarians and Latvians smoke more.

Many observers believe a culture of government compromise bordering on indecisiveness is to blame for the slow moves towards a ban.

The Social Democrats and conservative Austrian People's Party have ruled together almost continuously since 1945 - and both are liable to be swayed against a ban by the country's vocal smoker's lobby.

As a result, "it's difficult to impose anything," according to Karl Krajic, a sociologist and health expert with the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute in Vienna.