Terrace smoking ban postponed following concerns from Council of State

A ban on smoking at outdoor cafe terraces will not come into force on 1 January after all, following concerns raised by Belgium’s Council of State.

The smoking ban was laid out in the federal coalition agreement and also prohibits smoking rooms in publicly accessible establishments.

The hospitality sector is strongly opposed to the measure, which federal public health minister Frank Vandenbroucke (Vooruit) announced last autumn. 

The recent postponement follows an opinion from the Council of State, which reviewed the draft legislation.

It is still unclear when the smoking ban will actually come into force and what amendments the Council of State has requested. 

The Vandenbroucke government is not providing any further information on this at present.