Spanish government announces more tobacco- and vaping-free places but backs down in the face of industry pressure

The Spanish government has approved a bill to ban smoking and vaping, particularly on bar and restaurant terraces. The bill prohibits the use of e-cigarettes and related products by minors and bans the sale of disposable electronic devices.[1]According to the Ministry of Health, the objective is to strengthen public health protection and adapt regulations to changes in consumption patterns and the market for tobacco and vaping products.

Major public health issues for the country

Health Minister Mónica García Gómez pointed out that several laws have already been adopted in Spain regarding smoking bans. She emphasized that tobacco causes approximately 50,000 premature deaths per year in the country, or 137 per day, and is involved in nearly 30% of cancers.

According to official figures, 28.9% of men and 22.6% of women smoke daily in Spain.

Furthermore, according to a government survey conducted in 2023, approximately 55,000 adolescents aged 14 to 18 have already tried e-cigarettes, highlighting the extent of vaping in the country.[2].

The bill thus aims to regulate, for the first time, all new tobacco and nicotine products. At the beginning of the summer, the Minister of Health defended the bill, stating that " The restrictions are supported by scientific evidence, international experience and European Union recommendations. »[3].

The text, announced at the beginning of July, plans to equate regulations on e-cigarettes, nicotine pouches, herbal products, hookahs, and heated tobacco products with those applying to traditional cigarettes. Their use would be prohibited in enclosed public spaces and certain outdoor locations, including terraces, football stadiums, sports centers, concerts, festivals, beaches, campuses, children's playgrounds, bus stops, public swimming pools, and within a 15-meter radius of hospitals, train stations, schools, and public buildings.

In some cases, this measure already confirms a practice. For example, smoking was already banned in many football stadiums, in accordance with the clubs' decisions.

The proposed ban is in line with similar initiatives in other European countries. Sweden has banned smoking on bar terraces, while France and Belgium prohibit it in certain public places such as parks or beaches.

The Pedro Sánchez government's project also includes a ban on advertising, sponsorship and promotion of these products, including on social networks, or " advertising on equipment, installations and furniture located in public or collective spaces, which includes elements present in bars, discos, terraces or other leisure places ", namely signs, panels, logos, images or references to brands of tobacco products or related products[4].

Finally, single-use electronic cigarettes will be completely banned from sale.

Strong pressure from lobbies to counter many of the proposed measures

The bill does not currently include plain packaging for cigarettes, a measure that was discussed but ultimately rejected within the governing coalition. The Ministry of Health, however, hopes to reintroduce this provision during the parliamentary process.

Similarly, restrictions on the number of e-cigarette sales outlets have been ruled out, as has tax increases, even though a pack of 20 cigarettes costs less than €6.

The National Committee for Tobacco Prevention (CNPT) deplored these setbacks, noting that 28 countries and territories have already implemented plain packaging and that 14 are in the process of implementing regulations that reduce the attractiveness of products by removing marketing codes from packaging. Tobacco products are easily accessible in the country.

" Plain packaging would have reduced consumption; it is very difficult to enforce a ban on minors when electronic devices are sold almost everywhere " said Raquel Fernández Megina, president of the association Nofumadores.org. " The law could be much more ambitious. ".

©Generation Without Tobacco

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[1]Sam Jones, Spanish government moves to ban smoking on bar terraces, The Guardian, published September 9, 2025, accessed September 10, 2025

[2]Daniel Basteiro, Spain Moves to Ban Smoking in Stadiums and Bar Terraces, Bloomberg, published September 9, 2025, accessed September 10, 2025

[3]Ben Pawlowski, Spain pushes ahead with plans to ban smoking on bar terraces, The Olive Press, published September 9, 2025, accessed September 10, 2025

[4]The Parisian, Spain: Government considers banning smoking and vaping on terraces, published September 9, 2025, accessed September 10, 2025

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