Athens - The days of cigarette friendly Greece are about to go up in smoke.

The home to Europe's largest population of smokers has just over a year to go before a ban outlaws the habit in all public places, including restaurants, bars and offices, the Greek Health Ministry said Friday.

The ministry submitted the bill to Parliament late Thursday. It foresees the adoption of European Union guidelines designed to protect people from passive smoking as of January 1, 2010.

"We feel the Greek people are finally ready," Health Ministry official Alexis Zorbas, adding Greece to a growing list of European nations like France, Ireland, Spain, Britain and Italy to adopt similar measures.

"This time around the law will be successfully enforced because non-smokers will safeguard their rights for a clean environment."

The new law will have a heavy impact on a nation where nearly 45 per cent of the adult population smokes, and where smoking in offices and cafes is seen as a traditional pastime.

The government has already banned smoking in hospitals and taxis and requires restaurant and bar owners to designate smoking and non-smoking areas to safeguard public health.

However, the measures have been widely ignored. The Health Ministry has said the new law is aimed at saving the lives of an estimated 6,000 people who die every year from smoking in Greece.

Under the new law, smoking will be banned in public places, including all bars and restaurants, offices, hospitals and on all forms of public transport. The restrictions will also apply in all outlets that produce and sell food.

According to the new law, there will be designated areas set aside for smokers in offices. The bill also aims to keep minors under the age of 18 from smoking and consuming alcohol by banning their access to bars and clubs.

It will also impose a fine of 1,000 euros (1,276 dollars) on the owners and managers of bars and nightclubs that fail to respect the restrictions.

Repeat offenders will face fines of up to 20,000 euros and have their licenses revoked. The bill also foresees similar fines for those caught selling cigarettes to minors.

Unlike most of the rest of the European Union, Greece has no age limit on the purchase of tobacco, according to the World Health Organization.

It is still unclear how Greeks will react when the smoking ban comes into effect.

"This is ridiculous," said Panagiotis Maravelias, a businessman, puffing on his cigarette outside the literary cafe Mente. "A complete ban is ridiculous.

Sitting with his friends outside Jimmy's Cafe along the popular pedestrian smoke-filled boulevard in downtown Athens, student Yiannis Patritsis said an all-out ban was the only way to get Greeks to stop smoking.

"The Greeks need someone to prohibit them from smoking, otherwise there is no way to get them to give up."

According to a survey published in the Greek daily newspaper Kathimerini, eight in 10 Greeks believe that banning the practice from all public places is not an infringement on personal rights. (dpa)