The proposal is being drafted by the Technical Works Commission and will include traditional Basque gastronomic societies or ‘txokos’ as one of various public spaces where smoking will be banned.
The draft of the new Basque anti-smoking law, being developed by the Basque Government’s Direction of Drug Dependency, will list gastronomic societies – or txokos – as one of a list of public places where smoking would be banned, along with bars, restaurants and other catering establishments.
The draft bill is currently in its research phase at the Technical Works Commission, a body set up last 26th July.
The bill was suggested by the Basque Government with the aim of «protecting the rights of non-smoking individuals». For its purpose, it will modify the current Basque law 18/1998 which relates to tobacco dependency, making it illegal to smoke in all public places.
With this in mind, the draft will include among those places in which smoking is illegal the traditionally Basque gastronomical societies described as «places where members have access to a space adequate for cooking and consuming food and drinks.»
Depicted in this way, the ‘txokos’ will form part of a number of places in which lighting up will eventually be forbidden.