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i don't think it's related to the EU... they've been trying to get people to quite smoking for several years. first there were the REALLY BIG "smoking leads to DEATH" warnings, then the price of cigarettes and tobacco went higher and higher, then they passed a law so it was forbidden to smoke in offices, and then in january (or was it the year before ??) they made it illegal to smoke in all public places like cafés and restaurants.
there was a lot of controversy of course but not as much as i would have expected (although i do know one person who was so revolted she would deliberately go to a café and light a cigarette, and get thrown out, and go to another café, and...). anyway a lot of people have been stopping smoking in the past few years. 10 years ago, i hardly knew anyone who didn't smoke ; now the smokers are the minority.
even speaking as an ex-smoker i was thrilled when you could not smoke in cafés anymore. i can remember spending winter evenings in small bars with friends where the smoke was so thick you couldn't see the other wall almost, and when you got home you stripped down and put all your clothes directly into the washing machine because if you left them in the laundry basket in the bedroom they would stink through the whole house. also, i always want to smoke more when i see other people smoking (and other people's smoke bothers me less if i am smoking myself), so now i have less temptation (which is good, since i have no willpower to speak of).
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