France will ban smoking in all outdoor places that can be frequented by children, such as beaches, parks and bus stops, the health and family minister said, in an interview published on Thursday, May 29. "Tobacco must disappear where there are children," Catherine Vautrin said, in an interview published by the regional daily newspaper Ouest-France on its website. The freedom to smoke "stops where children's right to breathe clean air starts," she said.
The restrictions will enter into force on July 1 and will include all places where children could be, such as "beaches, parks, public gardens, outside of schools, bus stops and sports venues," she said. Violators could be fined up to €135 ($154), she said. Cafe terraces will be excluded from the ban, which will also not extend to electronic cigarettes, she said.
Some 75,000 people are estimated to die from tobacco-related complications each year in France. According to a recent opinion survey, six out of 10 French people (62%) favour banning smoking in public places.