Emancipation of the Elders

IGHTER RESTRICTIONS. Still, Germany as a whole has remained surprisingly tolerant of cigarettes, even as other European countries including Ireland, Spain, and Italy moved in recent years to ban smoking in public places. Indeed, despite its nature-loving, outdoorsy image, Germany today has the highest smoking rate among major European countries: nearly 34% of the adult population lights up, according to figures from the World Health Organization. By contrast, only 24% of adults smoke in Italy.

Back in 1998, German lawmakers, fearful of voter backlash, defeated proposed legislation that would have effectively banned smoking from the workplace and most public places. But now many of those same politicians are calling for tighter restrictions, including Agriculture and Consumer Protection Minister Horst Seehofer, who opposed a ban in 1998. Even the Chancellor herself, Angela Merkel, has weighed in on the issue, saying through a spokesman that she is "open to the issue of protecting non-smokers."

TAKE IT OUTSIDE. The public appears ready. Opinion polls from TNS Infratest