One EU country is a step closer to a burqa ban after one political party threw its support behind the proposed new rule. A bill from the right-wing VOX party is set to be debated in Spain’s Congress this week, signalling more cooperation between the country’s two main right-leaning parties. The bill has been backed by Spain’s People’s Party (PP), a centre-right party in the country. 

The ban would prohibit people from wearing the burqa in public spaces in Spain. The burqa is a piece of clothing worn by some Muslim women, primarily in Afghanistan and parts of Pakistan, which covers the whole body from head to toe. It is different from a niqab, which leaves a slit for the eyes, and a hijab, which doesn’t cover the face. The bill is set to be debated in Spain’s Congress today (Tuesday, February 17). Both right-leaning parties seem to be working together more as a General Election is slated for 2027.

PP spokesperson Ester Muñoz said that both are focusing on issues that “unite” them. “This week we will see an example of understanding,” Muñoz explained.

VOX has surged in the polls as Spain’s general election nears. Established in 2013, the party calls for stricter immigration laws and policies that reflect the traditions of Spain.

Muñoz described the proposed burqa ban as defending women’s dignity. The proposed new rule would ban the burqa and niqab in public spaces and private spaces open to the public. Hefty fines would be levied on those who still wear the garment in these places.

Spain’s The Local reports that these fines would be up to €600 (around £522) and a further €30,000 (around £26,000) for repeated offences. Meanwhile, fines and prison sentences might become punishment for those who coerce others into wearing a burqa.

Supporters of the bill argue that full face coverings pose a security risk and make identification harder. Others argue that it infringes on the religious freedoms of Spain’s Muslim minority.

Spain would not be the first EU country to ban the burqa in public spaces. In 2010, France introduced a ban on full-face coverings in public spaces. Similar bans then came into effect in Belgium, Austria, and Denmark.

These moves are often met with backlash. However, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that such bans can be upheld in the interest of security.

Spain’s proposed bill would likely face scrutiny before the country’s constitutional courts, where issues such as the ban’s necessity and proportionality would be examined.

Reasons for donning the burqa in Islam vary, but it is often down to a woman expressing modesty. The UK currently has no rules against wearing a burqa in public spaces.

Last year, one Reform UK MP called for Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to introduce a burqa ban, but this was then called “dumb” by the party’s Head of Policy, Zia Yusuf.

Reform MP said during Prime Minister’s Questions back in June 2025: “Given the prime minister’s desire to strengthen strategic alignment with our European neighbours, will he – in the interests of public safety – follow the lead of France, Denmark, Belgium and others, and ban the burqa?”

However, the PM said he would not be “following her down that line” at the time.