Belgium will ban smoking and vaping on public terraces and in designated smoking rooms from 1 January 2027.
The federal government says the measure covers restaurant and café terraces as well as smoking rooms in airports, hospitality venues and clubs that cater specifically to smokers, including cigar and shisha bars.
Originally due in 2026, the ban has been pushed back a year to give businesses more time to adapt.
‘Protecting people’s health’
Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke said the new restrictions are aimed at cutting exposure to smoke and vapour. “Protecting people’s health and creating a healthy environment for everyone is what matters to us,” he said. “With these measures, we prevent children and adults from involuntarily inhaling harmful cigarette smoke and ensure that people are not tempted to light up a cigarette.”
Establishments must display signage and intervene if customers light up. Even providing ashtrays can lead to penalties.
Smoking down, vaping up
According to the latest Sciensano Health Survey, 17.6 per cent of Belgians currently smoke, with 12.8 per cent smoking daily – a modest decline since 2018. By contrast, vaping is on the rise: 21.7 per cent of Belgians reported trying a vape in 2023 – 24, with use most common among younger people.
Harm reduction experts argue that lumping vaping together with smoking risks undermining efforts to help smokers switch to less harmful alternatives. They point to countries such as Australia, where strict vaping bans have fuelled illicit markets and made it harder for adults who smoke to access regulated products.
Part of a wider crackdown
The terrace and smoking room ban follows a string of other tobacco measures that have already taken effect. Since January 2025, smoking has been prohibited in playgrounds, zoos, amusement parks and children’s farms. Cigarette vending machines were removed in 2024, and tobacco sales at bars, cafés and festivals ended earlier this year.
Further restrictions are still ahead. Supermarkets are due to phase out tobacco sales completely by 2028. From 2025, shops have also been barred from displaying cigarettes, vapes and other smoking products, with tighter advertising rules to follow.
Belgium has already banned disposable vapes, becoming the first EU country to do so in January. But an investigation by broadcaster VRT’s Pano programme this spring found the ban had backfired, fuelling a black market where unregulated devices were more likely to contain dangerous drugs or chemicals such as synthetic cannabis. Despite the ban, disposable vapes were still circulating in schools.
‘Harder for smokers to switch’
Between 2020 and 2024, the price of a 20-pack of cigarettes rose nearly 60 per cent, with loose tobacco up more than 90 per cent. The cost of vapes has also increased, which harm reduction advocates say could make it harder for smokers to switch to less harmful alternatives – undermining the government’s target.
The official goal is to reduce daily smoking to 10 per cent of the population by 2028 and five per cent by 2040.
Hospitality groups say banning smoking and vaping on terraces will be hard to police and may force staff into conflict with customers. Health campaigners welcomed the move, arguing that “smoke does not respect boundaries” and that consistent rules are easier to enforce.
Belgium’s measures place it among Europe’s toughest regulators, alongside the Netherlands, Spain and France. But critics warn that equating vaping with smoking risks blurring the distinction between combustible tobacco and safer alternatives.
