In line with the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (Article 8), on 26 April 2011, the Hungarian Parliament voted for a new legislation for tobacco control that banned smoking in closed public places, such as restaurants, bars and workplaces, as well as in certain outdoor areas. Effective as of 1 January 2012, the amendment of the Act on the protection of non-smokers has not only introduced stricter rules for smoking, but also stipulated that the labelling of tobacco products shall include combined warnings with text and pictures from the library created by the European Commission. The WHO contributed its expertise to the long debate preceding the final vote.
Soon after the new Act was passed, a survey indicated that the majority of the population considered the changes to be favorable. Only 20% of respondents aged 18–64 said that the policy has more disadvantages than advantages while two-thirds of the respondents found that the regulation did not hurt the personal freedom of the smokers.
At the same time, the National Public Health and Medical Officer Service (NPHMOS) reported that, based on 56 000 on-site inspections at public places, adherence to the new regulation seemed to be high. The total of fines collected in 2012 was only 12 million HUF (€40 000 EUR) in the whole country. However, out of the 56 000 inspections, 18 000 were conducted during the grace period between 1 January and 31 March, when the NPHMOS did not impose fines for violating the new regulations. After the expiration of the grace period, the NPHMOS found only 5–6 violations per 1000 inspections, which represented a 90% reduction compared to the rate of violations during the grace period.
Smoking is perhaps the most significant public health issue in Hungary. The number of cigarettes smoked annually per capita exceeds 2000. A survey conducted by the National Institute for Health Development in February–March 2012 serves as baseline for analysing the impact of the new regulation. According to its findings, the rate of daily smokers among men has been on the decline since 2000. In contrast, no significant change has been observed among women. Compared to 2009, there was a 2% decrease among men under 65 years, coupled with a 2% increase among men above 65, while the rate of daily smokers among women increased by 1% since 2009.
The rate of daily smokers among men significantly decreases with increasing level of education. While the rate of daily smokers among men with elementary school education (8 years) is 45%, it is 32% among men with secondary school education and 20% among men with an education level higher than that. The highest rate of daily smokers among women is among those with secondary education (22% among women with elementary school education; 26% among women with secondary school education; and 18% among women with an education level higher than secondary school).
The number of cigarettes smoked decreased by nearly 8% since 2009. The ratio of machine-made to hand-rolled cigarettes has changed substantially: the number of hand-rolled cigarettes almost doubled in 2012 and reached one third of the total number of smoked cigarettes.
The majority of non-smokers (61%) agree with the smoking ban in bars and pubs along with, importantly, one fourth of smokers. The study of the National Institute for Health Development estimates that 20 470 people died due to consequences of smoking in 2010 in Hungary, accounting for one-sixth (16%) of total mortality. Nearly one fourth (23%) of total mortality among men and one-tenth (9%) among women was caused by smoking.
At the same time, state revenue from smoking in 2010 – stemming from VAT, excise tax and other payments (personal income tax, corporation tax, contributions) – was more than HUF 360 billion (€1.2 billion). Nearly three quarters of this amount came from excise tax and one quarter from VAT. In contrast, the direct and indirect costs of smoking in the Hungarian population in 2010 amounted to more than HUF 441 billion (€1.47 billion).
On 14 January 2013, the WHO Country Office for Hungary and the National Institute for Health Development held a press conference on the findings of the smoking habits of young people aged between 13 and 15 years, which had been studied for the third time as part of a WHO international research project. The results of the Global Youth Tobacco Survey show that thanks to the legislation protecting non-smokers and to numerous EU-funded projects launched recently, fewer and fewer young people are forced to suffer the harmful effects of tobacco smoke.