HOSPITALITY associations in Spain have ramped up their campaign against the proposed smoking ban for terraces- claiming that over 30,000 bars could close.
The Council of Ministers on Tuesday approved a final bill that would curtail smoking in many public places including bar and restaurant terraces.
Sweden is the only other EU country to have such a draconian measure.
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The bill though still has to be passed by Congress where discussions on the draft law have stalled for over a year.
The Pedro Sanchez-led government is short of a majority and time is ticking down before the next general election which has to be held by the summer of 2027.
Once an election is called, proposed legislation being heard in Congress is wiped from the slate.
The bill would also curb smoking and vaping on beaches, and close to public swimming pools, health facilities, and schools.
The Valencian region group, SOS Hosteleria, says it will lobby all political parties to vote down the measure, which it says could cost many bar and restaurant jobs.
It states that 50% of hospitality businesses in Spain have a terrace and that, therefore, the measure will affect the turnover of 85,000 bars and, consequently, ‘may put the employment of 300,000 people at risk’.
According to SOS Hostelería, the turnover linked to a terrace accounts for between 30% and 50% of the sales of a hospitality business.
It says that the measure will also affect municipalities, since a 20 m2 terrace with up to 10 tables pays €1,300 euros in rent, though it admitted there are great variations between different areas.
Rafael Asensio, SOS Hosteleria president, said: “The Health Minister insults citizens by treating them as uncivil by stating that a family does not have to live with smoke as a menu.”
“The hospitality industry always pays for the consequences of restrictive rules introduced by the government,” he added.
“Establishments have made significant investments to move their customers to terraces to comply with anti-smoking regulations and now they impose another rule that will lead many bars to close,” Asensio complained.
He hoped that the parliamentary groups in Congress ‘show a minimum of common sense and overturn this law as has happened already so many times throughout this legislature’.
Hostelería de España says that terraces are open and ventilated spaces in which there is coexistence between smokers and non-smokers.
Its president, Jose Luis Alvarez Almeida, believes that reducing consumption should be addressed through education and raising awareness, rather than resorting exclusively to new bans.
The Hotel Business Association of Madrid says it wants better public health but wants the economic and operational impact of the restrictions be analysed beforehand.
They also fear that Spain will become uncompetitive compared to other European tourist destinations.
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