A review of the ban on smoking law that was passed earlier this year after pressure from the European Union, is under review by the Health Ministry after it was disclosed that the measure was not being adhered to by most bars and cafes, nor have the establishments applied properly.

Health Minister Mariliza Xenogiannakopoulou said that she had noted "great gaps in the application of the smoking ban" and would be re-examining the legal framework supporting it.

At the end of last month, it was revealed that state inspectors had received more than 2,500 complaints about people violating the ban. It also emerged that some 2,200 cafe and bar owners in Athens alone had applied to turn their venues into all-smoking establishments, but that none of the paperwork had been processed by authorities, in most cases because the applications were incomplete.