The new Law on Tobacco Control that was adopted by Parliament on June 26 and was promulgated by President Nicolae Timofti at the start of July came into force on September 17. The provisions from the old law take effect today, but the main amendments will start to apply on July 1, 2016. Representatives of NGOs expressed their optimism about the successful implementation of this law, IPN reports.

The new provisions are much stricter than the previous ones. That’s why some of these will take effect in three years. “The provision that fully bans the advertising of cigarettes comes into force on January 1 next year. From March 31, 2016, smoking in closed public places will be banned, while the provision that prohibits pictograms on the packs of cigarettes will begin to apply in three years,” expert of the Center for Health Policies and Studies Ghenadie Turcanu has told IPN.

“We are optimistic about the successful implementation of this law because it enjoys great social support and because the authorities, in particular the Ministry of Health, made commitments concerning tobacco control to European institutions,” stated Ghenadie Turcanu.

The head of the National NGO Council Antonita Fonari also expressed her optimism. “We will monitor the implementation of the Law on Tobacco Control. From now on, with the support of each person, we can apply the anti-tobacco law. I’m optimistic about the effects of this law as there are a lot of people, including smokers, who do not accept cigarette smoke in a public place,” she said.

The experts said there is no precedent abroad when a good legal framework wasn’t implemented.