France will ban smoking in all outdoor areas accessible to children, including beaches, parks, and bus stops, the health and family minister announced Thursday, May 29.
In recent years, France has steadily tightened restrictions on tobacco use in public places.
The new ban, effective from July 1, will cover any location where children might be present, such as beaches, parks, public gardens, areas outside schools, bus stops, and sports venues, according to Minister Catherine Vautrin.
“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 cover areas around schools to prevent students from smoking nearby. Offenders risk fines of up to €135 ($154), according to Minister Vautrin.
However, the ban will not apply to France’s famous café terraces.
Electronic cigarettes, which have gained popularity in recent years, are also exempt from the new restrictions.
France already prohibits smoking in many public spaces, including workplaces, airports, train stations, and playgrounds.
Anti-smoking groups have long pushed for a wider ban.
Currently, about 35 percent of France’s population smokes — a rate higher than the European average of 25 percent and the global average of 21 percent, according to the World Health Organization.
