Smoking in France will be banned in all outdoor places that children can access, in a bid to create a smoke-free generation, the country’s health minister has announced.
Smoking on beaches, parks, bus stops, and sports venues will be banned from July 1 and culprits could be fined over 100 euros, minister Catherine Vautrin revealed on Thursday.
Despite being the country which named the cigarette, and French residents often spotted having a smoke on cafe terraces or strolling down cobblestone streets, France has increasingly tightened restrictions on tobacco use in public spaces in recent years.
The new ban will cover all spaces where children could be present, including "beaches, parks, public gardens, outside of schools, bus stops and sports venues", Ms Vautrin explained.
"Tobacco must disappear where there are children," Vautrin said in an interview published by the regional Ouest-France daily on its website.
The freedom to smoke "stops where children's right to breathe clean air starts," she said.
The ban will also extend to schools, to stop students smoking in front of them, the AFP news agency reported.
Offenders face a fine of up to 135 euros, Vautrin said.
The ban will not extend to France's iconic cafe terraces, however, the minister said, and electronic cigarettes are also not covered by the ban.
Smoking has already been banned in public spaces across France, including in workplaces, airports, at train stations, as well as in playgrounds.
A recent opinion survey also found that six out of 10 French people (62%) were in favour of bringing in a smoking ban in public places, and many cities and villages have already imposed their own bans in public areas.
An estimated 35% of France's population are smokers — higher than the averages for Europe (25%) and the world (21%), according to the World Health Organisation.
Roughly 12.5% of the UK population are smokers.
Around 75,000 people are estimated to die from tobacco-related complications each year in France.
The government's National Anti-Tobacco Programme for 2023 to 2027 proposed a smoking ban similar to the one announced by Vautrin, calling on France to "rise to the challenge of a tobacco-free generation from 2032".
Vautrin said there were no plans to place additional taxes on cigarettes "at the moment", citing the thriving black market that emerged after existing taxes were introduced in a bid to discourage smoking.
