According to reports from international news agencies, a new regulation came into effect in France on Sunday, June 29, banning smoking on beaches during the summer holiday season, in public parks and gardens, in areas designated for travelers, and near libraries, sports facilities, and schools.
French authorities announced that in the coming days, signage regulations will be published to inform the public when they are entering one of these newly designated “tobacco-free zones.”
In this regard, the Ministry of Health stated that once the law formally takes effect and the corresponding pictograms are installed, any violation will incur “a fixed fine of €135, which may rise to €750.” This is despite the Ministry’s promise in late May of an initial “educational period” to allow the public time to understand and adopt the new measures.
With this move, the law announced by Health Minister Catherine Vautrin becomes the most sweeping smoking ban ever implemented in France.
The French measure follows the example of other European countries such as the United Kingdom, Sweden, Spain, and Italy, where cities like Milan have already introduced stricter bans on smoking in public and open-air spaces to improve urban air quality.
