From The Christian Science Monitor
In an economy racked by widespread unemployment, is the opportunity to create tens of thousands of jobs worth granting an exception on Spain‘s two-year-old strict anti-smoking legislation?
That’s the question currently facing Spain’s government, as it considers meeting American casino mogul Sheldon Adelson’s condition to invest billions in a proposed massive casino complex, dubbed “EuroVegas,” in the outskirts of Madrid.
In line with most European legislation, smoking has been forbidden indoors in Spain since 2011, when after years of pressure from health officials and civil society groups, Parliament overwhelmingly approved the ban. Research suggests smoking addiction in Spain is falling, along with health-related issues like asthma and costs to the overburdened social security system.
But Mr. Adelson sees the ban as a deterrence to EuroVegas’s success, and has been campaigning for an exception to the law. And the conservative government of Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, facing the ongoing economic crisis and accompanying record 27 percent unemployment, seems inclined to accede to the demand – given the prospect of securing Adelson’s 17 billion euro investment, which the Las Vegas Sands owner claims could create some quarter-million jobs.
“Governments have to balance their decisions. The health of Spaniards is a priority, [but] the government will analyze all factors that have an impact on a bid that can generate jobs,” said Health Secretary Pilar Fargas recently, referring to EuroVegas.
