SOFIA, Nov 20 (Reuters) - Bulgaria, one of Europe's heaviest-smoking nations, plans to ban smoking in indoor public spaces from June 1, 2010, the government said on Thursday.

"The ruling aims at securing an environment without tobacco smoke and protecting non-smokers' health," it said in a statement.

The Balkan country has already banned smoking in hospitals, taxis and some offices and requires restaurant and bar owners to designate smoking and non-smoking areas, but the measures have been widely ignored.

Opinion polls show nearly half of the smokers in the European Union newcomer of fewer than eight million people do not comply with existing smoking bans.

More than 52 percent of men and more than 38 percent of women in Bulgaria are regular smokers.

The government approved amendments to the health law to include the smoking ban, which has to be approved by parliament.

Many EU member states have banned smoking in indoor public places, imposing fines on violators. (Reporting by Anna Mudeva; editing by Andrew Roche)

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