Tobacco alert: new smoke-free places from the summer of 2025

Used to smoking a cigarette while sunbathing on the beach or strolling in the park? Be warned, the rules change from the summer of 2025. From 1 July, smoking in certain open-air places is quite simply banned across the whole of France. This ambitious measure, brought in by the government, is intended to protect public health, that of the youngest in particular, and to preserve the environment. Here is an informal look at these new smoke-free zones, the reasons for the ban, the penalties provided for and the reactions the measure has prompted, with a glance at what is being done elsewhere.

The new zones where smoking is banned

A “smoke-free beach” sign on the Promenade des Anglais in Nice (illustration). From the summer of 2025, signs of this kind will appear all over France: smoking a cigarette on the sand or in a park is now prohibited. In practice, the list of outdoor places that have become non-smoking is fairly long. It consists mainly of places heavily used by families and children. The main ones are as follows:

• Public parks and gardens: no more drifting smoke above the lawns. All green spaces open to the public are now declared “smoke-free spaces”.
• Beaches and bathing areas: the ban applies along the coast during the summer season. Next time you lay out your towel, be aware that lighting a cigarette by the water may prove costly.
• Public transport waiting areas: bus shelters and other bus or tram stops are now non-smoking during service hours. Waiting for the bus means waiting before smoking, on pain of a fine.
• The immediate surroundings of schools and places receiving minors: smoking is prohibited around primary and secondary schools, nurseries, leisure centres and the like. A decree specifies that a perimeter of at least 10 metres around these establishments must be observed. In short, no smoking while collecting the children at the school gate.
• The surroundings of cultural and sports facilities: zero tolerance here too. The entrances to libraries, swimming pools, stadiums and other open-air sports facilities must remain smoke-free during opening hours, so that supporters do not smoke in the stands and children leaving the media library do not walk through a cloud of smoke.

Worth knowing: the electronic cigarette is not covered by these new restrictions. You may therefore continue to vape in parks or on the beach, at least for the time being. The government is considering tighter rules on vaping by 2026, but not for this summer. Nor are the outdoor terraces of cafés and restaurants covered by the current decree, and they remain areas where smoking is allowed. The health minister, Catherine Vautrin, made a point of stressing this: “We are focusing on places where there are lots of children. We are not here to give moral lessons.” In other words, the aim is not to bother smokers having a coffee on a terrace among adults, but to protect the youngest in the places where they spend their daily lives.

Why these bans? The reasons put forward

If the government is tightening the screw on the cigarette, it is not for the pleasure of playing the spoilsport, but for solid public health and environmental reasons. Here are the two main grounds put forward:

• Protecting young people and denormalising tobacco: “Wherever there are children, tobacco must disappear”, insists minister Catherine Vautrin. In plain terms, the aim is to protect children better by preventing them from being exposed to smoke and to the example of smokers in the places where they play or study. Ninety per cent of smokers start before the age of 18, so there is little point in normalising the cigarette in the park or at the school gate. The government has thus set the ambitious objective of a “tobacco-free generation” within a few years. It should be remembered that smoking remains the leading cause of avoidable death in France, with 75,000 deaths a year, that is more than 200 a day. Even in the open air, passive smoking is not without consequence: according to the health authorities there is no risk-free level of exposure, and breathing other people’s smoke increases the risk of respiratory problems in children. By making these outdoor spaces smoke-free, the hope is therefore to protect the health of non-smokers, adults and children alike, and to change the way young people see the cigarette.
• Preserving cleanliness and the environment: this campaign against smoke also has an ecological strand. Who has never seen the sand of a beach or the paths of a square strewn with crushed butts? Every year in France, 20,000 to 25,000 tonnes of cigarette butts end up abandoned in the environment. A single butt can pollute up to 500 litres of water because of the toxic chemicals it contains. Cigarette filters take years to break down and release nicotine, arsenic, lead and other substances, threatening fish, birds and ecosystems. By widening the areas where smoking is not allowed, the public authorities therefore want to reduce butt waste and improve the cleanliness of beaches, forests and public gardens. Fewer cigarettes smoked in these places also means less fire risk in dry weather, and a healthier environment for everyone. In short, it is a win-win: people and the planet are both protected.

What penalty for an offence?

As we know, in France a law without a penalty has little chance of being observed. No exception here: if you nonetheless try to light a cigarette in one of the newly prohibited zones, you face a hefty fine. It is a fourth-class offence, that is a fixed fine of €135 for anyone caught in the act. The fine may even rise to €375 if increased for late payment, and up to a maximum of €750 if the case goes before a court. Smoking where it is prohibited, in other words, comes at a price. Better to put the cigarette out or refrain, unless you want to regret it for the sake of your wallet. Law enforcement, both national and municipal police, will be responsible for applying the rule. Official “smoke-free space” signs are to be put up to mark the zones closed to smokers clearly. An educational phase is planned at first: officers can be expected to use their judgement, perhaps issuing a warning during the early weeks. But penalty notices could soon follow. It is therefore best not to test the patience of the authorities by smoking a cigarette where it is now prohibited.