PARIS — France will implement a nationwide ban on smoking in public spaces frequented by children beginning July 1, Health Minister Catherine Vautrin announced Thursday in an interview with Ouest-France.
The new regulation will prohibit smoking in parks, beaches, bus stops, and outside schools, gardens, and sporting events. Violations will carry a fine of 135 euros (approximately $154), according to Agence France-Presse (AFP).
“The freedom to smoke must end where the freedom of children to breathe fresh air begins,” Vautrin said. She emphasized that tobacco use should be eliminated from environments where children are present.
The ban will not apply to café terraces, and electronic cigarettes will not be covered under the new restrictions.
Police will be responsible for enforcement, though Vautrin expressed confidence in public cooperation and “self-regulation,” according to the BBC, which also cited the Ouest-France interview.
Currently, around 23% of France’s population smokes daily, according to data cited by the BBC from the French Observatory for Drugs and Drug Addiction (OFDT).
France banned smoking in restaurants and indoor public spaces in 2008. Over 1,500 municipalities have already enacted local smoking bans in public areas, including several hundred beaches, the BBC reported. The national policy seeks to unify these efforts under a broader public health framework.