Outdoor habits in Europe are about to change irreversibly. Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke announced a historic decision approved by the Council of Ministers: from 1 January 2027, smoking and vaping will be strictly prohibited in Belgium on all terraces, inside shisha bars, in cigar clubs and in public smoking rooms in cafes and airports. The initiative is part of the national strategy to reduce tobacco consumption by 2040 and has been postponed by a year compared to initial plans to allow commercial activities to organize themselves.
The institutional battle responds to very specific health data. Although there has been a decline in daily smoking in Belgium from 15.4% in 2018 to 12.8% today, smoking still causes the death of almost two people every hour. Vandenbroucke’s real concern concerns the spread of electronic cigarettes among young people, where 11.1% of young people between 15 and 24 say they vape occasionally and 60% of users replace the device with traditional tobacco. The stated objective is to eliminate the sight of smoke in social spaces to prevent children and adults from being unintentionally exposed to harmful substances.
Rules for Horeca, buffer zones and comparison with France
The new legislation imposes precise responsibilities on operators in the Horeca sector. Managers will be required to display adequate prohibition signs and remove any element that could encourage consumption, including ashtrays. The operator risks sanctions only in case of insufficient signage, implicit authorization or supply of material, while the direct responsibility for financial sanctions will always fall on the consumer who violates the law. Fines for violators could be modeled on the current ones, which range between 208 and 8,000 euros.
The perimeter of the ban will not be limited to the tables of the premises, but may extend up to a buffer zone of 10 meters from the terraces to completely screen non-smokers. The only concession of the text concerns exemptions for temporary events: individual municipalities will have the right to suspend the measure during Christmas markets, fairs or festivals where control is particularly complex. This decision places the country among the strictest on the continent, clearly differentiating itself from neighboring France where in 2026 vaping will remain permitted on open terraces.
