Smoking Ban For Bars Could Be Delayed By 1 Year

Earlier today the Spanish press reported how the Ministry for Health is considering delaying the new tougher anti-smoking legislation in bars by a further year before applying them fully.

La Razon states that the Minister for Health, Trinidad Jiménez, will neither change or reverse the decision to ban smoking in all closed public spaces, but is prepared to postpone it’s application by a year, in the case of bars, due to a barrage of complaints from a number of different sources who are concerned about the effect of the ban – especially at this time of recession, aswell as the increase in IVA which comes into effect on July 1.

The tobacco industry has countered this postponement by calling for the delay to be extended to 5 years.

It now looks unlikely that the new anti-smoking legislation will be brought into effect, regardless of the postponement for bars, before the Summer recess of congress.