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Belgian coffee shop owners protest against new smoking ban

Published: 2026-09-29 Author: World Gafei 👁 174 views

Last updated 2026-09-29 — The picture shows coffee shopkeepers holding up signs on the streets of Brussels on April 23 that say no smoking is prohibited in coffee shops. On April 23, about 830 coffee shop owners and other supporters demonstrated in the streets of Brussels, the Belgian capital, to protest against the new smoking ban to be implemented from July 1. Belgium plans to extend the smoking ban to all public places from July 1.

The picture shows coffee shop owners holding up a sign with the words "do not prohibit customers from smoking in coffee shops" on the streets of Brussels on April 23.

On April 23, about 830 coffee shop owners and other supporters demonstrated in the streets of Brussels, the Belgian capital, to protest against the new smoking ban to be implemented from July 1.

Belgium plans to extend the ban on smoking in public places to all coffee shops from July 1. Protesters worry that once the smoking ban is implemented, the revenue of coffee shops will fall by 30% to 50%.

According to the local coffee and catering industry federation, there are 12000 coffee shops in Belgium, of which 4000 to 5000 will be directly threatened by the new law. They asked for more flexibility in the smoking ban, allowing coffee shop owners to decide whether to ban smoking in their stores.