Strict new rules rolled out across France that could see you fined £116 on the beach this summer
And its already been rolled out across
4
France has always been a holiday favourite for Brits and continues to be one - but there is a new strict rule to look out for
Credit: Pascal Pochard-Casabianca/AFP/Getty Images via CNN Newsource
The new French rules
4
Smoking cigarettes is banned in all outdoor areas where children might frequent
Credit: Getty
France has banned smoking in all outdoor areas frequented by children from the 1st of July.
This includes parks, beaches, public gardens, bus stops, school entrances, and sports venues.
And if you break the rule - even as a tourist - you will face a fine of 90
euros
if you pay within 15 days, going up to 135
euros
(around £116) after that.
The new measure is part of President Emmanuel Macron's pledge to create 'the first tobacco-free generation' by 2032.
Travel News
'France is positioning itself as one of Europe's most proactive countries in terms of tobacco control,' Raquel Venâncio, senior policy officer at Smoke Free Partnership, a coalition of European tobacco control advocacy groups, told CNN.
Not everyone in France is happy about the new rule
4
Not everyone in France is happy about the new rule
Credit: Getty
'The more time goes by, the more the government wants to take away our basic freedoms,' Elise Levaux, a 25-year-old student in
Paris
, told CNN.
'If you're being respectful — not throwing away cigarette butts in a park or beach, not disturbing others — I don't see the problem.
"Why should
crime
?'
Most read in News Travel
Another said: "I've been smoking since I was 14.
'Most of my friends started just as young. Fine or no fine, we're going to continue smoking.
Paul McKenna demonstates two powerful hypnotisation techniques to help you quit smoking
"It's part of the French identity — we fight for what we want. We're not
robots
.'
tabacs
— tobacco shops that occupy the corners of many urban streets.
CNN approached a dozen of them in
Paris
seeking their view on the new
law
, but none wanted to speak.
But in a statement shared with CNN, Minister of
Health
Catherine Vautrin said that 'protecting youth and denormalizing smoking' is an 'absolute priority' for the government.
'At 17, you should be building your
future
, not your addiction, Where there are children, tobacco must disappear.
'Tobacco is poison. It kills, it costs, it pollutes. I refuse to give up the fight. Every day without tobacco is a life gained.
"Our goal is clear: a tobacco-free generation — and we have the means to achieve it.'
The new rule does not ban e-cigarettes
4
The new rules do not include e-cigarettes
Unlike Belgium and the
United Kingdom
, which recently prohibited the sale of disposable vapes, France's new rules do not
The new regulations do, however, include a reduction in authorized nicotine levels in
'These products serve as gateways to addiction and will be
Tobacco use remains the leading preventable health risk in the European Union, causing
In
France
alone, it accounts for
health
ministry.
Beyond the direct toll on smokers and those around them, tobacco products also pose an environmental hazard.
An estimated 20,000 to 25,000 tons of cigarette butts are discarded across
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