Spain’s coalition government has approved a draft bill restricting smoking in public places that could have a significant impact on travellers.
The proposed legislation will ban smoking and vaping in outdoor spaces, including sports venues, beaches, restaurant and bar terraces.
“We’ll always put public health ahead of private interests,” Spain’s health minister Monica Garcia told reporters. “Everyone has a right to breathe clean air and live longer and better lives.”
The proposed measures have drawn opposition from restaurant and bar owners, who say Spain’s year-round outdoor dining culture is boosted significantly by customers who smoke.
Smoking indoors has been prohibited since 2011.
Spain cracks down on its cigarette culture
The proposed bill could significantly alter the experience for tourists flocking to Spain’s popular destinations.
The country’s appeal to travellers has traditionally included not only its climate and culture but also the availability of duty-free tobacco products and lower cigarette prices.
Under the new draft law, conventional cigarettes, along with electronic cigarettes, nicotine pouches, herbal products, shisha pipes and devices used to heat tobacco and other substances, will be banned in outdoor areas such as beaches, restaurant and bar terraces, stadiums, sports centres, children’s play areas, bus stops and educational facilities.
The proposed legislation also seeks to impose stricter controls on vape and e-cigarette marketing and distribution as part of broader tobacco control efforts.
There is no indication yet of when these measures might come in. The bill still needs to be approved by parliament and could be amended.
Europe moves to curb smoking in outdoor spaces
Spain‘s approach mirrors recent action taken by France in July.
It is now illegal to smoke in outdoor places, including beaches, parks, public gardens, outside schools, bus stops and sports venues. The legislation, however, excludes cafe and bar terraces and electronic cigarettes from its restrictions.
The initiative reflects a broader European trend toward tighter tobacco regulation, despite the continent maintaining the world’s highest adult smoking rates at approximately 25 per cent.
According to health department statistics, tobacco-related deaths claim over 50,000 Spanish lives annually – roughly 137 fatalities daily.
Notably absent from Spain’s cabinet-approved proposal are requirements for plain packaging on tobacco products, a measure already adopted by 25 nations according to World Health Organisation data.
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