EPHA Open Letter supporting a reform of the Spanish tobacco legislation

Update 20 October 2010

On Wednesday 20 October 2010, the Spanish parliament passed a law strenghtening the smoking legislation already in place in the country. If the law passes at the Senate level, beginning in January 2011 smoking will be banned in bars and restaurants as well as around outdoor places such as playgrounds, schools and hospitals.

While bar and restaurant owners had the possibility under the 2006 legislation to choose whether or not they wanted a smoke-free establishment, which turned out to be a complete failure, the Spanish Parliament rejected on Wednesday the possibility for them to opt for hermetically sealed smoking sections.

For the moment, it looks like the Senate globally agrees with the Parliament position. Therefore, the legislation should either pass or be subject to minor changes. If it passes, the new law will make Spain one of the EU countries with the strictest legislation in the field of smoking.

EPHA will keep you informed about the next steps of the legislation process.

Update 8 June 2010

The European Public Health Alliance welcomes the Spanish initiative to broaden the scope of the existing law and to introduce a smoking ban in all public places in Spain.

Please find the body of EPHA Open Letter attached to the article.

More than 650 000 persons die of tobacco-related illnesses every year in the European Union and exposure to second hand smoke kills at least 79 000 people [1].

In Spain particularly, 25% of the men aged between 19 and 24 years old, 29% of the women of the same age group and an average of 45.7% of the 29-44 age group smoke [2].

An important part of the population daily suffers from second hand smoke, either at the workplace or in public places such as bars and restaurants, which can only be tackled by a total ban.

While no evidence has been reported that a total ban financially affects bars and restaurants, EPHA believes that the only solution effectively tackling second hand smoke is a total ban. Therefore, EPHA welcomes the Spanish initiative to broaden the scope of the existing legislation and to introduce a smoking ban in all public places in Spain.

It is moreover crucial that new legislation are supported by complementary measures. Therefore, the decision to introduce pictorial warnings on tobacco packages in Spain has been warmly welcomed by EPHA. A targeted media campaign raising awareness of the new measures has also been suggested in the letter.

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