France will ban smoking in all outdoor places that can be frequented by children, like beaches, parks and bus stops, the health and family minister said on Thursday.
‘Where there are children, tobacco must disappear,’ Catherine Vautrin said in an interview published by regional outlet Ouest-France.
The restrictions will come into force on July 1, and failure to comply with the draconian ban could result in a £114 fine, the minister said, adding that children have the ‘right to breathe clean air.’
Cigarettes will also be banned in areas close to schools to prevent students from ‘smoking in front of their establishments.’
The ban does not apply to cafe terraces – or include electronic cigarettes.
The government’s National Anti-Tobacco Programme for 2023 to 2027 proposed a smoking ban similar to the one announced by Vautrin, calling for France to ‘rise to the challenge of a tobacco-free generation from 2032.’
But anti-tobacco organisations had voiced concern the authorities were dragging their feet on implementing the measures.
Vautrin said there were no plans to place additional taxes on cigarettes ‘at the moment’.
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