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The Government expands smoke-free spaces and toughens fines
Smoking on bar and restaurant terraces could no longer be permitted in Barcelona if the new anti-smoking law approved by the Council of Ministers goes ahead. The text expands smoke-free spaces, equates vapes with conventional tobacco and must now pass through Parliament.
The ban would also extend to university campuses, communal-use swimming pools, sports facilities, transport shelters and certain outdoor events. On terraces, the ban would apply even if they are completely open and have no awnings or side enclosures.
The change would have a particularly visible effect in neighbourhoods with a strong hospitality scene, from Eixample and Gràcia to Sant Antoni, El Born and Poblenou. Smokers and users of electronic cigarettes would have to move away from tables to use these products.
On Barcelona’s beaches, the new measure would be less significant. The city already banned smoking on the sand along its entire coastline in 2022, so places such as Barceloneta, Bogatell and Mar Bella start from municipal regulations more advanced than the future state rule.
For the first time, the bill prohibits minors from consuming tobacco, vapes and other related products. Minor offences would start at 200 euros and, when the person responsible is underage, payment would fall to their parents or guardians, although educational alternatives are envisaged.
Electronic cigarettes, whether or not they contain nicotine, would be subject to restrictions similar to those on traditional tobacco. The reform also limits their advertising and promotion, and extends control over products such as nicotine pouches, shishas and heated-tobacco devices.
The measure can still change during its passage through Parliament. Until Congress and the Senate approve the final text and its entry into force is published, the current regulations will continue to apply on terraces, at universities and in the other affected spaces.
The most noticeable change in Barcelona would be around a table: ashtrays would disappear from many terraces and smoking would cease to form part of the usual scene in squares and streets full of bars. The key will lie in the final text and in how a ban affecting thousands of venues is enforced.