In Spain, municipalities are now allowed to ban smoking on the beach. Mallorca even wants to extend the ban: to bars, restaurants and driving. On German coasts, people are far from that far.
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Ingrid Bruner
On Spain’s beaches, the air is getting thinner for smokers – or, for non-smokers, cleaner. Smoking is prohibited on more and more beaches. The Spanish parliament created the legal basis for this at the beginning of the year. Barcelona has already reacted: From July 1st, the approximately ten kilometers of city beach belonging to the municipality will be smoke-free zones, with a fine of 30 euros for violations. A rather symbolic penalty compared to other regions: in the Basque Country, in Galicia, Andalusia or Valencia there are fines of up to 2000 euros. Some beaches on the Canary Islands have been non-smoking zones since 2021, but it is still uncertain how many will be added.