Old cars are required to install catalytic converters or diesel soot filters to be allowed entry into the inner cities of Berlin, Cologne and Hanover. As proof, the cars must display a certified sticker given after the vehicle passes smoke emission tests.
Berlin imposes a $58 (40 euro) fine on violators. More than 80 percent of Berlin's 1.2 million registered automobiles have acquired the sticker. Cologne had handed out 280,000 stickers, while Hanover distributed over 36,000.
Stuttgart and Mannheim will enforce a similar ban by March 1. The growing number of states that are adopting the measure seeks to meet the E.U.'s limit of a maximum 1.76 micro ounces (50 micrograms) of fine particles per 1.3 cubic yard (1 cubic meter) of air.
Meanwhile, the eight German states that have disallowed public smoking are Berlin, Bavaria, Brandenburg, Bremen, Hamburg, Mecklenburg Western Pomerania, Saxony-Anhalt and Schleswig-Holstein. Lower Saxony, Baden-Wurtteburg and Hessen have existing anti-smoking prohibitions prior to 2008, while Saxony-Saarland and North Rhine-Westphalia will start their own smoking ban by March, and Thuringia on July.
The other German states are expected to join the smoking ban within the year. However, closed-off smoking rooms are allowed in public places for the use of smokers.
The different state have varying regulations. Bavaria enforces the ban on beer tents, pubs and restaurants. Many states will wait for a few months until Germans have adapted to the new regulations before they will impose fines. Berlin set it on June, with a hefty $146 (100 euro) to be slapped on individual violators and $1,460 (1,000 euro) for pub owners.
The German Hotel and Restaurant Association is naturally opposed to the ban, saying it will drive many small dining and drinking establishments out of business. The DEHOGA estimates sharp drops in profits on account of the smoking prohibition, ranging from 15 percent to 50 percent.
Health campaign groups welcomed the smoking ban. According to the German Cancer Research Center 3,300 Germans die every year due to passive smoking.
