From chic to outcast: Europe’s smoking heartlands finally catch up

London: For decades, smoking was less a habit in France and Spain than a cultural flourish. The smouldering ciggie was part of daily life – dangling from the lip of a philosopher on a cafe terrace in Le Marais, or flicked into the sand after a long lunch along the Costa del Sol.

But while much of the world stubbed out the social acceptability of smoking long ago, the change in Europe has been slower, more reluctant, and often clouded by nostalgia. Now, two of the continent’s most iconic smoking nations are making their boldest moves yet to catch up.

The French will still be allowed to smoke outside cafes, but no longer on the beach.Credit: Getty Images

From July 1, France will ban smoking in many outdoor public spaces, including beaches, parks, playgrounds, bus stops and areas around schools. Spain, meanwhile, is preparing to go even further, with a sweeping reform of its anti-smoking law set to take effect by the end of the year.

That plan will outlaw smoking and vaping in places as varied as stadiums, swimming pools, university campuses and even work vehicles.

Both countries are finally drawing a clearer line between private vice and public health. But the way they’re going about it says a lot about the way Europe does reform – incrementally, inconsistently, and with one eye still glancing wistfully at the past.

In France, Health Minister Catherine Vautrin framed the move as a moral imperative: “The freedom to smoke stops where children’s right to breathe clean air starts.”

French President Emmanuel Macron, left, with Health Minister Catherine Vautrin.Credit: AP

Yet in the same breath, she confirmed the country’s outdoor areas of cafes and bars will remain exempt. Smoking alongside your espresso remains, for now, a protected ritual.

While Australia and the UK have spent two decades systematically dismantling smoking’s grip – banning it in nearly every public nook and cranny, jacking up taxes, plastering plain packets with graphic images – France and Spain have often preferred half-measures and hesitant enforcement.

Until recently, French efforts to combat tobacco were more symbolic than structural. Smoking rates have barely budged in years, with around 12 million adults lighting up daily. Disposable vapes – known locally as puffs – have surged in popularity among teenagers, driven by candy-coloured packaging and syrupy flavours. The government has promised a ban, but legislation is still in process.

In Spain, where the left-wing coalition government announced its anti-smoking plan more than a year ago, progress has also moved at a stately pace. Health Minister Mónica García now says the legislation is ready, and the country is awaiting EU review before implementing the changes.

A “No smoking” sign is pictured at Gare du Nord train station in Paris on Thursday.Credit: AP

The people seem ready, even if the politics aren’t.

France’s new plan also includes tax hikes, with the price of a cigarette pack – already among the highest in Europe at €11 ($19.40) – rising to €12 in 2025 and €13 by 2027. Anti-smoking advocates say it doesn’t go far enough. Public health experts argue however they should be talking about €16 a pack.

Spain’s upcoming law is more aggressive on location. It targets the ambiguous zones where smoke still lingers – outdoor terraces, public pools, even bus stops. Heated tobacco and e-cigarettes will be treated the same as traditional cigarettes under the new framework. The goal, García says, is to create a “shared right to breathe clean air”, especially for children, workers, and those unable to opt out of public exposure.

And while these efforts fall short of Australia’s zero-tolerance approach – or the UK’s move to phase out cigarette sales for future generations – they represent a real shift in tone. For the first time, health policy is beginning to override cultural exceptionalism.

Still, the resistance runs deep. The tobacco lobby in France remains influential, and enforcement of smoking bans is often inconsistent. A law without teeth, critics warn, is just smoke and mirrors.

“There’s no question that the tobacco lobby has more influence than it should,” Professor Loïc Josseran, president of the anti-smoking Alliance Contre le Tabac, told Le Monde. “Until we deal with that, we’ll keep falling short.”

What’s changing now is not just the law, but the mood. In both countries, smoking is increasingly seen as out of step with modern life – less stylish than selfish, less cultural than costly. It still kills more than 75,000 people annually in France alone.

So while the terrace culture lives on – between the clink of glasses and the scratch of a lighter – the sands are shifting. France’s beaches will be smoke-free this summer. Spain’s pool decks and stadiums won’t be far behind.

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