Overview

• An anteproyecto approved this month by the Council of Ministers would overhaul Spain’s 2005 anti-tobacco law, extending smoke‑free rules to bar and restaurant terraces, open‑air concerts and theater shows, football stadiums, and bullrings, including their immediate surroundings.
• The proposal treats e‑cigarettes like traditional tobacco, introduces a first‑ever ban on consumption by minors, and prohibits employees from smoking inside company vehicles.
• The draft sets 15‑meter no‑smoking buffers from the façades of health, cultural, educational, sports and social facilities, as well as parks and children’s areas.
• Hospitality leaders in Andalusia argue the restrictions are disproportionate, warn they would push smoking into the streets and confuse tourists, and contend terrace bans are uncommon in competing Mediterranean destinations.
• Hotel associations note the draft allows fixed smoking rooms even as most rooms are already smoke‑free, and they plan formal objections while reporting concerns from frequent British visitors about tighter rules.