The French government issued a decree on Thursday banning smoking in public places as from February 2007, but smoking in bars, nightclubs and restaurants could be allowed until January 2008. The decree puts the starting point of a new policy on smoking. France tried to ban smoking in public places in 1991, issuing a law that did not work. The decree will ban smoking in all closed and covered places that are open to the public or are places of work. There will be no smoking rooms in public buildings, including work buildings, schools and hospitals, including the hospital gardens and school yards, reads the document. Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin announced last month that France would follow other European countries to impose a ban on smoking in public places. Similar laws have been already implemented in Ireland, Spain, Sweden, the UK and Italy. People who break the law will have to pay a fine of EUR 75 and the fine may rise to EUR 150. According to a survey, between 70% and 80% of the French support the decree. In France, about 66,000 people die of illness caused by smoking every year, and 5,000 die each year from passive smoking.

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