Belgium postpones smoking ban on hospitality terraces planned for 1 January 2027

Start date missed

The federal ban on smoking and vaping on hospitality terraces will not take effect on 1 January 2027, as originally planned. Belgian media reported the postponement on 26 October 2026, and the office of Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke (Vooruit) confirmed it. The reason is advice from the Council of State, which checks draft laws for coherence and legal certainty before they are finalised.

The Council raised objections and asked the government to adapt certain provisions. The minister's office says work on those changes is under way, but it has not said which provisions will change. Vandenbroucke told HLN that the measure was being delayed.

“The smoking ban on terraces is indeed being postponed.”

No new date yet

Neither the minister's office nor the government has named a replacement start date. According to 7sur7, the timing depends on when the Council of Ministers adopts the text in second reading. The office said it also wants to give the hospitality sector enough time to prepare, including by installing the necessary signage.

In principle, such a ban can take effect at any point in the year, not only at the start of a quarter or a new year, according to 7sur7. For now the cabinet is giving no further information about the timing or the changes requested.

What the ban would cover

The federal government announced the measure in September 2025 as part of its broader tightening of anti-tobacco policy. Under the plan, smoking and vaping would be banned on and around hospitality terraces. Smoking rooms would also be banned in publicly accessible venues, including hospitality venues and airports. The government says these measures are meant to help achieve a smoke-free generation by 2040.

The coalition agreement, which 7sur7 describes as nearly 200 pages long, had already set out the extension to terraces and the ban on smoking rooms. The change was framed as a further step after the indoor smoking ban in cafes and restaurants, which is now more than ten years old.

Opposition from the hospitality sector

The hospitality sector strongly opposed the plan from the start. The federation Horeca Vlaanderen fears it will have a negative impact on the sector. Vandenbroucke has said the number of smokers is falling but that tobacco use still has a significant impact on health. VRT NWS cites figures showing that 12.8% of Belgians smoke every day.