The ban strictly prohibits smoking in public places, disconcerting cafe managers. In an interview with Today's Zaman, İsa Güven, the head of the Ankara Coffeehouse Owners and Tradesmen Association, said: “The law was made to harmonize Turkish laws with those of the European Union. We conveyed our concerns, outlining the negative impact on our business, but it did not work. The law will be implemented; we have no choice.”The first country to adopt a smoking ban was the US in the 1990s. It was followed by France, Australia, Canada, Ireland, the Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Norway, Sweden, Portugal, England and, lastly, Turkey, where after a partial ban on smoking went into effect, smoking outdoors was prohibited in locations such as stadiums and playgrounds. The law gave restaurants, cafes and bars 18 months to begin applying the ban.
Noting that Turkey is the 13th country in the world to apply this law, Güven said: “European countries do not have a coffeehouse culture like Turkey. It is natural for those countries to implement the law easily. This law will harm our cafe concept, which is based on Ottoman culture.”
Güven speculates that once the law goes into effect, the first five to six months will see a decrease in customers and 50 percent of cafes will close down. “Our only concern is that we'll lose our jobs, but we know that people's health is of utmost importance. We hope non-smokers also come out to our cafes,” he said.
