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Spain Unveils Sweeping Outdoor Smoking Bill Covering Vaping

Parliament must still approve the measure before the new restrictions take effect.

Overview

  • The draft would prohibit smoking on restaurant and café terraces, at hotel outdoor pools, in stadiums, and at bus and train stops.
  • A 15‑meter no‑smoking buffer would apply at entrances to public buildings, schools, health centers, sports venues, libraries, and children’s areas, and smoking would be barred in work vehicles.
  • E‑cigarettes and heated‑tobacco devices would be regulated on the same terms as conventional cigarettes under the proposal.
  • Beaches are outside the state bill because municipalities control them, though many councils have designated smoke‑free stretches, including 53 beaches in the Balearic Islands.
  • Health organizations broadly welcome the plan, citing Spain’s roughly eight million smokers and 50,000–60,000 tobacco‑related deaths each year, while the hospitality sector warns of possible revenue losses.