The last decade has seen considerable progress in the establishment of smoke-free workplaces in the European Union (EU). However, much remains to be done in order to attain a comprehensive protection from involuntary exposure to tobacco smoke in the workplace. As the struggle for smoke-free workplaces in the past has shown, entirely smoke-free workplaces are not achieved in one stroke, but are usually the result of a stepwise process over many years.

The driving force of any move for protection of non-smokers is the awareness that passive smoking constitutes a health hazard and is not merely a cause of discomfort and irritation. The strength of the scientific evidence on the health effects of passive smoking is of overriding importance for the promotion of smoke-free environments.