A ban on smoking on the terraces of hotels, restaurants and cafés will not take effect on 1 January 2027 after Belgium’s Council of State raised objections to the draft law.
Originally planned for 1 January 2026, implementation was postponed by a year to give businesses time to adapt. However, the new deadline of 1 January 2027 will be delayed further. The Arizona coalition agreement extends the smoking ban to outdoor terraces and bans smoking rooms in public venues.
The information, first reported by Het Laatste Nieuws, was confirmed on Monday by the office of Public Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke (Vooruit).
The measure was intended to include smoking rooms and venues like shisha bars. Bars and restaurants were expected to display clear signage and speak to customers who try to smoke.
Fines for non-compliance were expected, including penalties for allowing smoking, providing ashtrays, or failing to display proper notices.
Establishments that enforced the rules would not be held responsible, with individual smokers who broke the ban remaining directly responsible.
Vandenbroucke’s office did not set a new timetable or specify the changes the High Court requested.
