E-cigarettes in Serbia

Serbia: Deputy health minister Jelena Janković has told media the ministry is hoping the smoking ban in cafes and restaurants will be adopted before the end of the year. Previous reports suggested the ban would also extend to vaping and heated tobacco, however as the official proposal has not been made public, it is unclear if the bill might make an exception for tobacco alternatives.

Serbia: Speaking at a conference on cancer, health minister Danica Grujičić called for public support for a ban on smoking in enclosed public places. “The Ministry of Finance, which claims that the state makes money from cigarettes, must be pressured. The priority must be people’s health,” she said. Though she belongs to the same governing party as the finance minister, Sinisa Mali, Grujičić is the first health minister in several governments to speak about the need for a public smoking ban. She told the press today that a proposal had already been drawn up to ban smoking in hospitality premises, but that it has yet to be adopted by the government before it goes before the National Assembly. It is not yet clear whether or not the proposal – which has yet to be made public – will tackle vaping.