France to Ban Smoking in Most Outdoor Public Spaces from July 2025
France is set to implement a significant expansion of its smoking ban, prohibiting smoking in most outdoor public places starting July 1, 2025. The new law aims to protect the public, particularly children, from secondhand smoke and further denormalize tobacco use.
The ban will apply to a wide range of areas including:
- beaches,
- public parks and gardens,
- areas near schools,
- public transport stops,
- sports grounds.
Health and Family Minister Catherine Vautrin emphasized, “Tobacco must disappear where there are children. The freedom to smoke must end where the freedom of children to breathe fresh air begins.”
Violators will face fines of up to €135 (approximately $153).
However, France’s iconic outdoor café terraces (“terrasses”) will be exempt from this new ban, allowing patrons to continue smoking in these designated seating areas. Electronic cigarettes (vapes) are also currently excluded from these specific outdoor restrictions, though Minister Vautrin indicated her office is working on future limits for nicotine levels in vaping products.
This move builds on France’s existing anti-smoking laws, which have banned smoking in indoor public places like restaurants and nightclubs since 2008. Many municipalities had already enacted local outdoor smoking bans. Despite a decline in daily smoking rates to a record low of 23.1% among French adults, tobacco-related illnesses still cause over 75,000 deaths annually in France. Public support for smoke-free public areas appears strong, with nearly 80% of citizens favoring such measures in parks and beaches according to La Ligue Contre le Cancer.
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