French Health Minister Catherine Vautrin announced a ban on smoking in many outdoor public spaces, meeting a demand by anti-tobacco organizations. Starting July 1, smoking in parks, public gardens, beaches, bus shelters, sports facilities and around schools will be prohibited, the minister said in an interview with the newspaper Ouest-France on Thursday, May 29. "Tobacco must disappear where there are children," Vautrin said, ahead of World No Tobacco Day, which takes place on Saturday, May 31. The goal is clear: to protect young people from exposure to tobacco.

Failure to comply with the ban may result in a fine of €135, said Vautrin, who emphasized that the freedom to smoke "ends where children's right to breathe clean air begins." The decree, developed in collaboration with the French Mayors Association, "is being finalized with the Council of State," which advises the government on drafting policy.

Middle and high schools will also be affected by the ban, particularly to prevent "students from smoking in front of their schools," she said.

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