Giving smokers a one-year advance warning, the government has announced new anti-smoking regulations to come into effect January, 2010, which will put Greece on par with its EU neighbours.

Smoking in this country has already been banned in hospitals and taxis, and restaurants are supposed to have designated smoking and non smoking areas, but these rules have been basically ignored or not enforced.

Now, the new law will ban smoking in all public places including bars, offices and all forms of public transport.

In addition, the bill also plans to keep people under the age of 18 from smoking and consuming alcohol by putting an underage limit of 18 on bars and clubs, as in most of the other EU countries.

Fines will be imposed on bar and club owners who ignore this law and repeat offenders will be fined up to 20,000 euros and have their licenses revoked. This will also include those caught selling cigarettes to minors.

Since Greeks are among the heaviest smokers in Europe, with 45 percent of the adult population puffing away, officials are already acknowledging that the enforcing of the new ban is going to be difficult.