France’s government has extended its smoking ban to certain outdoor public spaces, effective Sunday (June 29). The decree was published in the Official Journal on Saturday, but for now, no fines will be issued for violations.
However, from July 1, offenders could face fines up to €135 (£117), despite the French Ministry of Health saying there would be a period of “education” in May. As part of the new rules, smoking will be banned in virtually all outdoor public spaces where children could gather, including beaches, parks, gardens, playgrounds, stadiums, school entrances and bus stops. After decades of glorifying smoking, this decree marks France’s biggest smoking ban to date.
The decree published on Saturday morning (June 28) makes no mention of fines for offences and it still needs to be supplemented by an order from the minister of health to define the precise areas where smoking will no longer be permitted in schools, libraries, sports facilities and other venues that will receive, train or accommodate minors.
The measure was promised by the government at the end of 2023 and confirmed in late May by Health Minister Catherine Vautrin, with an initial implementation date of July 1 across the country.
“Tobacco must disappear where there are children,” Ms Vautrin told French media. The freedom to smoke “stops where the right of children to breathe clean air begins”.
While Ms Vautrin’s law reflects a shift towards public health priorities, it also marks a major cultural shift in France. Smoking has defined French identity, fashion and cinema for many decades. According to the League Against Cancer, more than 90% of French films from 2015 to 2019 included scenes of smoking, more than double the rate seen in Hollywood productions. Each French film featured an average of nearly three minutes of smoking, equivalent to six 30-second TV adverts.
A classic example of a French film where characters smoke frequently is Breathless (À bout de souffle), released in 1960. The film features Jean-Paul Belmondo’s character, Michel, smoking constantly throughout the movie, even while driving and after being shot.
However, such glamorisation has had consequences. According to French health authorities, some 75,000 people die every year from tobacco-related illnesses. Nevertheless, smoking rates have recently fallen to a historic low level, with less than a quarter of French adults now smoking daily. However, the habit remains deeply entrenched, particularly among young people and many living in fashionable cities.
France’s ban on smoking has been lagging behind other countries for several decades. Air France only banned smoking on all its flights in 2000, years after the major US airlines began phasing it out in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Sweden banned smoking on restaurant terraces, at bus stops and near school playgrounds in 2019, while Spain is extending its own ban to café and restaurant terraces, areas that remain exempt in France.
