Starting July 1, France will implement a sweeping ban on smoking in several public outdoor spaces, including beaches, parks, areas around schools, bus stops, and sports venues.
The initiative is part of a broader national campaign to safeguard children’s health and reduce tobacco use.
Health Minister Catherine Vautrin emphasized the importance of protecting young people from exposure to tobacco.
“Where there are children, tobacco must disappear,” she said during the announcement of the new regulations.
The measures will also include restrictions on vaping products.
Authorities plan to lower nicotine levels in e-cigarettes and limit the range of available flavors to make them less appealing to minors.
Violations of the smoking ban will incur a fine of €135 ($153), and enforcement will be handled by municipal police.
Minister Vautrin outlined her goal of creating a smoke-free generation, beginning with children born in 2025.
“My ambition is clear and far-reaching: to ensure that children born in 2025 are part of the first generation to grow up without tobacco,” she said.
Although some municipalities already had similar rules in place, the new policy will extend these restrictions nationwide. Smoking will still be allowed at outdoor café terraces and in designated areas, and the use of e-cigarettes will not be prohibited under the new rules.
However, young people will no longer be permitted to smoke near schools, and officials are working to define the specific boundaries around educational institutions where smoking will be banned.
The regulation is also aimed at discouraging students from leaving school premises to smoke.
Government data shows that smoking among 17-year-olds has declined, with 15.6 percent reporting they smoked in 2023 — about half the rate from a decade ago.
Despite this progress, smoking remains the leading cause of preventable death in France, with over 75,000 tobacco-related deaths recorded annually.
Minister Vautrin also highlighted the financial burden of smoking-related illnesses, stating that cancer costs the French economy around €150 billion each year.
She clarified that the ban is not about restricting personal freedom. “People still have the right to smoke in their homes or in designated areas,” she said. “But that freedom stops where a child’s right to breathe clean air begins.”