France will ban smoking outdoors in all places where children may be present, including beaches, parks and bus stops, the country's Minister of Health and Family Catherine Vautrin said on Thursday, UNN reports citing AFP.
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Known as a country where smokers sit with cigarettes on cafe terraces or walk along cobbled streets, France has tightened restrictions on tobacco use in public places in recent years.
The new ban, which takes effect on July 1, will apply to all places where children may be present, including "beaches, parks, public gardens, outside schools, bus stops and sports grounds," Minister Catherine Vautrin said.
"Tobacco must disappear where there are children," Vautrin said in an interview published by the regional daily Ouest-France.
The freedom to smoke "ends where the right of children to breathe clean air begins," she said.
The ban will also extend to schools so that students do not smoke in front of them.
Violators face a fine of up to 135 euros (154 US dollars), Vautrin said.
However, the ban will not apply to the iconic cafe terraces in France, the minister said.
Electronic cigarettes, which have become popular in France in recent years, are also not covered by the ban.
France has already banned smoking in public places such as workplaces, airports and train stations, as well as playgrounds.
The World Health Organization estimates that 35 percent of the French population are smokers, which is higher than the average for Europe (25 percent) and the world (21 percent).
It is estimated that about 75,000 people die annually in France from tobacco-related complications.
According to a recent public opinion poll, six out of 10 French people (62%) are in favor of banning smoking in public places.
Vautrin said there were no plans to introduce additional taxes on cigarettes "at this stage," citing a thriving black market that has emerged since the introduction of existing taxes in an attempt to discourage smoking.