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| France to ban smoking in public | France to ban smoking in public |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| France is to ban smoking in all public places from next February, the prime minister has announced. | France is to ban smoking in all public places from next February, the prime minister has announced. |
| Cafes, nightclubs and restaurants are to be given until January 2008 to adapt, said Dominique de Villepin. | |
| Those found in breach of the ban would be fined - 75 euros (£50) for individuals and 150 euros for the premises where the offence occurred. | |
| Smoking kills more than 13 people a day in France, said Mr de Villepin - calling it an "unacceptable reality". | Smoking kills more than 13 people a day in France, said Mr de Villepin - calling it an "unacceptable reality". |
| Mr de Villepin made the announcement in a television interview. | |
| "We started on the basis of a simple observation - two figures: 60,000 deaths a year in our country linked directly to tobacco consumption and 5,000 deaths linked to passive smoking. | |
| "That makes more than 13 deaths a day. It is an unacceptable reality in our country in terms of public health," he said. | |
| Treatment | |
| Public places include stations, museums, government offices and shops, but not streets or private places such as houses or hotel rooms. | |
| Mr de Villepin added the state would take charge of one-third of the costs of anti-smoking treatments, such as a patch. | |
| "That would represent the first month of treatment," he said. | |
| Several countries have already taken similar measures. | Several countries have already taken similar measures. |
| Opinion polls in France - often considered a nation of smokers - suggest 70% of the people support the ban, says the BBC's Valerie Jones in Paris. | Opinion polls in France - often considered a nation of smokers - suggest 70% of the people support the ban, says the BBC's Valerie Jones in Paris. |
| The European Union's most enthusiastic smokers are in Greece, Cyprus and Portugal, according to findings published in May this year. | The European Union's most enthusiastic smokers are in Greece, Cyprus and Portugal, according to findings published in May this year. |