Anti-smoking law flouted in cafés

POLICE in Paris are being told to crack down on those who are flouting anti-smoking laws by smoking in covered terraces.

The law has banned smoking in closed public places for seven years – and that includes café terraces if they are completely enclosed.

Some 45,000 venues around France are estimated to have covered terraces - typically enclosed with transparent plastic sheets. However not only do many of them turn a blind eye to people smoking inside, some of them even put ash trays out.

This is despite the fact that smoking there is illegal, unless (which is usually not the case), the main facade of the terrace is completely open to the outside.

Now the assistant mayor in charge of health, Bernard Jomier, has asked the police to run an awareness campaign to make sure the café owners know the rules – and if necessary to get tougher with fines.

In theory there is a €135 fine for a café owner who allows his or her customers to smoke, increased to €750 if they encourage it by putting ash trays out. Though rarely applied, customers also risk a €68 fine for lighting up.

“This disrespect for the law has become habitual in our city,” said Mr Jomier, in a letter to the city’s police chief.

He says it is estimated that passive smoking is responsible for 10% of the 70,000 smoking-related deaths in France each year.

“We absolutely must manage to get people to respect the regulations by next winter,” he told Le Parisien.

Anti-tobacco group Droit des Non-Fumeurs joined the call for the police to get tougher with those breaking the law.

Two cafés from the Halles area were fined €1,400 after it took them to court – but president, Gérard Audureau said police initially did nothing when the group complained.