France imposes ban on smoking at beaches, parks in push for ‘tobacco-free generation’

PARIS – France on June 29 banned smoking in parks and on beaches, part of efforts to protect the public from passive smoke and create the country’s first non-smoking generation.

The ban, published in the official government gazette on June 28, also applies to bus shelters and areas near libraries, swimming pools and schools.

It was introduced one week before the start of school holidays, aiming to shield children from smoke on beaches.

The rules do not apply to bar and restaurant terraces, where smoking remains permitted.

They also do not apply to electronic cigarettes.

On a beach packed with sunbathers and sloping into the crashing Atlantic surf in south-western France, opinions on the new rules were mixed as smokers puffed away without apparent fear of reprimand.

“Frankly, I think it’s ridiculous. We bring our own ashtrays and we’re no longer allowed to smoke in parks, on beaches and so on,” said Mr Damien Dupois, a smoker.

But Mr Romain Boonaert, a non-smoker enjoying the beach in La Porge outside Bordeaux, welcomed the move.

“There’s plenty of space, but it’s never pleasant when you get a little smoke on you. And then some people smoke other things too, so at least it takes away all the trouble.”

‘Tobacco-free generation’

According to the new rules, people should also not smoke within a 10m radius of schools, swimming pools, libraries and other places that hurt minors.

The Health Ministry said it would announce the minimum distance for smoking in these areas in the coming days.

Those who violate the ban could face a fine of €135 (S$202), up to a maximum of €700.

The Health Ministry is expecting an initial grace period as the new rules are introduced.

“Tobacco must disappear from places where there are children. A park, a beach, a school – these are places to play, learn and breathe. Not for smoking,” Health and Family Minister Catherine Vautrin said.

She said the ban was part of France’s push for a “tobacco-free generation” by 2032.

‘It must be clear’

The ban “is a step in the right direction, but remains insufficient”, said Dr Yves Martinet, president of the National Committee Against Smoking, criticising the continued permission to smoke on cafe terraces.

“The minister points to the protection of children”, but children “also go to the terraces”, Dr Martinet, a pulmonologist, said.

He lamented the absence of e-cigarettes from the text, saying flavours are used to “hook young people”.

“For a measure to be effective, it must be clear – no consumption of products containing tobacco or nicotine in public,” Dr Martinet said.

But Mr Frank Delvau, president of the Union of Hotel Trades and Industries for the Paris region, said a ban on smoking on cafe terraces “would only shift the problem because people on terraces would go smoke next to these establishments”.

“Smokers and non-smokers can coexist” on terraces, the “last places of conviviality and freedom”, said Mr Franck Trouet of hospitality association Hotels and Restaurants of France.

Passive smoking causes between 3,000 and 5,000 deaths annually in France, according to official estimates.

Smoking is steadily declining in France, with “the lowest prevalence ever recorded since 2000”, according to the French addiction agency OFDT.

Less than a quarter of adults aged 18 to 75 smoked daily in 2023. Smoking causes 75,000 deaths a year and costs society €156 billion annually, the agency said.

A recent survey found 62 per cent of French respondents support a smoking ban in public spaces. AFP