Prohibition of smoking and vaping on terraces and university campuses
The project, which also prohibits consumption by minors, now begins parliamentary processing
Barcelona / MadridKey step by the Spanish government to toughen the crackdown on tobacco. This Tuesday, the Council of Ministers approved the new anti-tobacco law, which includes new smoke-free spaces, such as terraces of bars and restaurants, and also new ways of smoking, such as electronic cigarettes and vapes. Minors will be prohibited from smoking, as until now only sales to this group were prohibited. The text will now be sent to the Congress of Deputies, where the different parliamentary groups will debate whether or not it will be approved and in what way.
In the press conference following the Council of Ministers, the Minister of Health, Mónica García, emphasized the importance of moving forward with this legislation and quipped that 2026 will be remembered for Spain's World Cup victory and also for the new anti-tobacco law. For the Minister of Health, the objective is "to expand the right to breathe free air," and this requires new legislation because new products have appeared and it is also necessary to "protect new generations," who are particularly attracted to vapes or electronic cigarettes.
In fact, García presented the legislation as an "update to the 2005 law," which innovatively banned smoking in bars. "No one would want to go back now," the minister reiterated, although she recalled that at the time there was a catastrophic reaction, especially from the hospitality sector.
Given the new reality, then, the ministry now wants to better protect public health – said Mónica García – and also "move forward" towards a smoke-free society. In this regard, she has quantified the savings in healthcare that the ministry calculates will be saved by the reduction of diseases: between 100 and 200 million euros per year, as without tobacco they certify that both respiratory and tumor pathologies would decrease. "There are 50,000 deaths a year" from tobacco, García remarked, adding that smoking is the "most avoidable risk" when it comes to preventing diseases.
The keys to the regulation
The new anti-smoking law prohibits smoking on the terraces of bars and restaurants; beaches, rivers, and collective use swimming pools; sports facilities, national parks, and work vehicles, and theaters, cinemas, concerts, and other cultural events, even when held outdoors. Furthermore, smoking will not be permitted within 15 meters of public buildings, health centers, social centers, educational centers, universities, research centers, museums, libraries, cultural centers, sports centers, and children's parks or playgrounds.
New forms of smoking, such as vapes, electronic cigarettes, nicotine pouches, water pipes, and heated tobacco, will be subject to the same prohibitions as conventional tobacco once the new law is approved. This means they cannot be used in smoke-free areas (except for nicotine pouches), their sale will be prohibited to minors (who will also be prohibited from consuming them), and products will have to include information about nicotine content on the label. The sale and supply of single-use electronic cigarettes are also prohibited, both due to their environmental impact and their accessibility to young people.
Advertising prohibitedThe law also focuses on the direct and indirect advertising of new forms of smoking, which will be prohibited once approved. Samples or discounts will not be distributed, nor will signs or posters of these types of products be displayed in bars and nightclubs. Companies and brands in the sector will also not be able to sponsor activities at festivals or sporting events, and in all places where smoking is prohibited, there will have to be signs indicating this.
The Spanish government also wants to reinstate the Observatory for the Prevention of Smoking, which was abolished in 2014. Its functions will include proposing initiatives to meet the law's objectives, preparing periodic reports on the situation and application of the regulation, and promoting coordination between the competent authorities.
The bill is part of the Comprehensive Plan for the Prevention and Control of Smoking 2024-2027, approved by the Council of Ministers, and advances one of its main lines of action: updating the regulatory framework to better protect the population's health, prevent the initiation of consumption, and move towards tobacco-free generations.
