Sources: Latin American Herald Tribune, RTVE and Elmundo

For Jimenez, "the problem is not smoking in public places, but in enclosed public places, and in this sense there are no plans to ban smoking on terraces and in bull rings.

The minister has acknowledged that "talks are very advanced" and there is a general consensus in the majority of political groups. "As long as we can secure political consensus, we will secure social consensus" she says, and states that the decision is easily justified as it is strongly founded on the protection of public health. "We’re culturally ready to adopt it now, and we are in this final phase of negotiation," she remarks.

For months, Jimenez has been raising this issue, but until now had not specified a date. The minister has indicated on several occasions that Spanish society is ready for a total prohibition of smoking in public places and has insisted that public premises affected by the ban will not be hit economically.

Under the current law, people can smoke in restaurants and bars measuring less than 100 square metres, which account for 80% of the total number, and so the practical effects of the law are limited. Only 40,000 out of more than the 350,000 existing premises in Spain are smoke-free or allow for smoking areas, according to data from the Spanish Radio and Television Corporation (RTVE).

According to surveys conducted by the ministry, 70 percent of Spaniards would support a total ban on smoking in all enclosed areas. "I want to do it as soon as possible and I think we ready to reach a decision soon," said the minister. Jimenez pointed out that restaurant workers are harmed by the current law, and gave numbers according to which 55,000 people die from smoking each year in Spain.

Several bodies such as Spain’s Collegiate Medical Organization (OMC) and National Committee for Smoking Prevention have long demanded a tightening of the rules. The OMC has repeatedly denounced the "systematic breaching" of the existing law, and has urged the parliamentary groups to support the reform.

The Spanish Hospitality Federation has of course criticized the measure, claiming that the economic harm caused would exacerbate the drop in sales from the economic crisis. They argue that it will be the bars and small establishments that will suffer most, with a further estimated sales reduction of 10%. The ban will have strong repercussions on their businesses with more than 40 percent of the clientele made up of smokers, argues Luis Guerra of the Spanish Hospitality Federation.

The National Committee for Smoking Prevention, however, argues that the experience of other countries where similar bans have been implemented has not produced negative effects for the hospitality sector. Most European Union countries already have smoking prohibitions in force in public places, although with differing degrees of severity. In the strictest countries, Ireland, Italy, France and the United Kingdom, it is prohibited to smoke in all enclosed public places.