Tomorrow, ministers will consider the bill transposing EU Directive 2014/40, which strengthens tobacco control and regulates many aspects of electronic cigarettes.
"What is of particular concern to us is the high rate of young smokers, with 27% of smokers in the 16 to 34 age group," said Lydia Mutsch, health minister.
"This is one of the reasons why the new draft law transposing the EU Directive 2014/40 / EU on tobacco control is particularly important for targeting the period of entry into youth smoking, given that 70% of smokers start smoking before the age of eighteen, and 94% before the age of twenty-five".
With a view to protecting the health of non-smokers, especially children, but also to prevent young people from getting into smoking, the new anti-smoking law provides for additional measures beyond the provisions of the Directive.
In particular, it will extend the ban on smoking in public places to include play areas, and also to vehicles carrying children under the age of 12, and sports venues attended by people under the age of 16.
The restrictions will apply to e-cigarettes as well as to standard cigarettes.
This measure is a means of prevention for those who are most vulnerable to the harmful effects of tobacco. By avoiding children's exposure to smoking, this ban is aimed at reducing the number of children who will start to smoke later.
In relation to electronic cigarettes, vaping will be prohibited in all the same places where the smoking ban applies. The legal age of those to whom cigarettes can be sold will increase to 18.
Young people remain a preferred target of the tobacco industry and prevention of smoking initiation is a public health priority.
According to the ministry, scientific studies of measures to prevent smoking have shown that the fact that minors could not buy cigarettes reduced the number of young people who started smoking.
