New law bans indoor sparklers following Swiss tragedy
The law will take effect in two months and those caught breaking it face fines between €120 and €350
A law introduced last week bans the use of sparklers at indoor public gatherings.
It comes months after a bar fire in Switzerland killed 40 people and injured 116 on New Year’s Eve.
The blaze was caused when champagne bottles with sparklers attached were raised too close to sound-insulation foam on the ceiling of the bar’s basement section.
The new law, introduced through a legal notice, now officially bans the use of any “pyrotechnic articles” in indoor spaces that the public can access, including venues such as clubs and discotheques.
The law will take effect in two months and those caught breaking it face fines between €120 and €350.
Speaking outside parliament, Home Affairs Minister Glenn Bedingfield said the legislation was a reaction to the Swiss tragedy.
“After the New Year’s Eve tragedy in Switzerland, there were internal discussions, as well as public ones, about what should be done.”
Bedingfield said the new legislation had been brought before cabinet for approval last April by his predecessor, Byron Camilleri.
“It has now been published.”
Bedingfield said the law applied specifically to indoor, publicly accessible areas, meaning sparklers would still be allowed in private homes.
Shortly after the Swiss tragedy, Philip Fenech, chairperson of Paceville Town Centre Management, expressed concern about the risks posed by Bengal candles and other pyrotechnics used for celebrations in clubs and called for safer alternatives.