France will ban smoking in all outdoor areas where children may be present, Health and Family Affairs Minister Catherine Vautrin announced on Thursday, the 29th of May, according to the BBC.
The ban will come into force on the 1st of July and will also apply to beaches, parks, public gardens, schools, bus stops and sports grounds.
“Tobacco must disappear where the children are,” said Vautrin in an interview published by the Ouest-France newspaper. She added that “the freedom to smoke must end where the freedom of children to breathe fresh air begins”.
The outdoor terraces of cafés and bars will be exempted from the ban, she said. Violators face a fine of 135 euros.
The minister said the police would monitor compliance with the law, but added that she had great faith in “self-regulation”.
Although electronic cigarettes are an exception, Vautrin said she was working to introduce limits on the amount of nicotine they contain.
According to the French Drugs and Drug Addiction Monitoring Centre, 23.1% of the French population smokes every day, the lowest percentage ever recorded and a drop of more than five points since 2014.
The French National Committee against Smoking has pointed out that more than 75 000 smokers die each year from tobacco-related diseases – 13% of all deaths.
Since 2008, France has banned smoking in establishments such as restaurants and nightclubs.
A major move to ban smoking on beaches, in parks and other public places was expected in 2024, but the necessary decree was never adopted.
However, more than 1 500 municipalities have already voluntarily banned smoking in public places and several beaches across France have been smoke-free for years.
A recent report by the French cancer association “La Ligue Contre le Cancer” shows that almost 80% of French citizens support a ban on smoking in public places.
Also read: Media: EU-level push to drastically raise excise duty on tobacco products
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