Spain has introduced new laws to improve the health of its citizens. From 12 February, 20 new rules have been put in place including tough rules on smoking in public spaces like beaches and restaurant terraces, reports Teesside Live.

The changes are part of the Ministry of Health’s Comprehensive Plan for the Prevention and Control of Smoking, which also plans an increase in tobacco prices. Both locals and holidaymakers will no longer be allowed to smoke on beaches or at restaurant terraces.
The new rules follow a smoking ban on several Spanish beaches, including Javea, Alicante, Ibiza, Menorca and Mallorca, to combat the issue of cigarette butts being left in the sand. The Balearic Islands and the Valencia region are the only places in Spain that have maintained this ban from 2020 as part of Covid rules, the report said.
“We must look at the law again because we cannot turn our backs on the only measure that can give the population more years of life and a better quality of life, which is to reduce smoking,” Health Minister Monica Garcia said.
The Comprehensive Plan for the Prevention and Control of Smoking 2021-2025 was finalized a year and a half ago, but had not yet been implemented. The Ministry of Health stated it wanted to “remove it from the drawer” and create more smoke-free areas.
According to the Majorca Daily Bulletin, the measures include: the legislative unification of all tobacco products with nicotine delivery systems, both natural and synthetic; the requirement of generic packaging of all tobacco and nicotine products and the banning of flavours added to tobacco and nicotine delivery systems, as well as smoking in shared public spaces such as restaurant terraces, beaches, queues, etc.