France to ban smoking on beaches, parks and near schools

France will ban smoking in all outdoor places that can be frequented by children, health and family minister Catherine Vautrin has said.

The ban will come into force on 1 July and will include beaches, parks, public gardens, outside schools, bus stops and sports venues.

"Tobacco must disappear where there are children," Vautrin said in an interview published by Ouest-France daily.

Vautrin added that "the freedom to smoke must end where the freedom of children to breathe fresh air begins".

The outdoor areas of cafes and bar - known as terrasses - will be exempt from the ban, she said.

Vautrin explained that breaking the rules would incur a €135 (£113; $153) fine.

She said regular police would enforce the ban but also added that she was a great believer in the "self-regulation".

Although electronic cigarettes are exempt, Vautrin said that she was working to introduce limits on the amounts of nicotine they contain.

According to the French Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, 23.1% of the French population smokes on a daily basis - the lowest percentage ever recorded, and a fall of over five points since 2014.

France's National Committee Against Smoking says more than 75,000 smokers die each year of tobacco-related illnesses - 13% of all deaths.

Smoking in establishments like restaurants and nightclubs has been banned in France since 2008.

Widespread measures to ban smoking on beaches, parks and other public places were meant to kick in in 2024, but the decree needed to was never adopted.

However, more than 1,500 municipalities have already voluntarily banned smoking in public places, and hundreds of beaches across France have been non-smoking for severeal years.

A recent report by France cancer association La Ligue Contre le Cancer shows almost 80% of French people are in favour of a ban on smoking in public places like woodland, beach, parks and terrasses.