Petition 1080 received 4,448 electronic signatures and 3 paper signatures, according to the Chamber of Deputies website.

The petition’s author told Radio Latina in an interview she had a further 630 signatures which would take it over the threshold. However, it would appear this had not been received at the time the petition closed.

A spokeswoman for the Chamber of Deputies told Delano on Wednesday that this means in most cases that the additional signatures cannot be taken into account and therefore a public debate would not be scheduled. She did not, however, exclude the fact that MPs may discuss the matter in closed sessions.

The petitioner wrote that their goal was to protect the food and drink sector. “As there is already a ban on smoking indoors, there is no reason to ban smoking on the terraces of restaurants. Anyone can choose a non-smoking place. Terraces remain the only place where businesses get customers despite the smoking ban in restaurants.”

Luxembourg banned smoking in public bars and cafés from 1 January 2014. On 1 August 2017, the ban was extended to include areas close to children’s playgrounds and vehicles in which a child aged under 12 is travelling. E-cigarettes are subject to the same restrictions. The ban was introduced to reduce the number of smokers and limit the impact of second-hand smoke on others.

This latest petition comes after a separate petition in September calling for a ban on smoking on terraces when food is served garnered 4,668 validated signatures. Petitioner Daniel Reding told Delano in September that his petition would ensure “respect for the health of others when they are outdoors, in the same way as indoors, and to avoid respiratory illnesses.” Having secured 4,500 signatures, that proposal is expected to be considered by a parliamentary committee.