It's official - a total public smoking ban in France.

It had been talked about in the last few months, there had been a parliamentary report about it but it is now official: tonight French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin announced a total public smoking ban in France. (here in French)

The ban will be put in place in two phases:

• first in most in most public places from February 1, 2007
• then in all bars, restaurants, hotels and discotheques less from January 2008.
  

Of course the fact that most French people support such a ban could make you think this is simply great political opportunity in this time of pre-election. But who really cares. After all this is a great news and if any of you has been to restaurants or cafés in Paris, you'll know what I'm talking about.

Of course, you'll have the usual whiners and complainers and since this is France, they'll probably demonstrate, go on some strike and ask the government for compensations and the whole thing will be settled quickly.

Contraty to what the NYTimes wrote last week though, it is not true any more that there is somethign very French about smoking, no, there used to be and this is the last breath of love-hate relationship with tobacco:

France’s history with tobacco goes back more than four centuries. Nicotine, after all, is named after Jean Nicot, a 16th century ambassador to Portugal who took tobacco leaves imported from America to Catherine de Medici as a cure for her migraines.

With this ban on smoking, France follows in the footsteps of Ireland (with the world's first nationwide public smoking ban in 2004.) Italy, Sweden, Scotland, Norway and Spain. And now Belgium, Britain, Northern Ireland and Portugal are also talking about new tighter rules against tobacco within a year.