The French government yesterday postponed legislation banning smoking in public places, less than a week after a humiliating climbdown over labour reforms.
Dominique de Villepin, prime minister, who has seen his popularity hit a record low after his battle over labour reform, asked Xavier Bertrand, health minister, to carry out more evaluations on the impact of a smoking ban after a meeting to finalise plans for a new law.
Mr Bertrand said only last weekend he wanted to go "as fast as possible" to pass a law protecting people from passive smoking at work, in bars and in restaurants.
While the idea of a smoking ban in public places is supported by 80 per cent of French people, it is likely to face fierce opposition from powerful business groups, including tobacconists, restaurateurs and bar owners.
"Once again the government is backing down. It is total confusion," said Claude Evin, an anti-smoking advocate and opposition Socialist deputy.
Mr de Villepin seems to have balked at the risk of introducing a ban so soon after being forced to back down in the face of street protests by millions of students and workers against his youth labour law.
Yesterday he asked Mr Bertrand to carry out a "deep evaluation of the different solutions, in consultation with all concerned parties at national and local levels". Mr Bertrand later told parliament he preferred to "convince rather than constrain".
But the supporters of a smoking ban suspected the law might never make it to parliament. Yves Bur, a deputy from the ruling UMP party and anti-smoking advocate, said he expected the law to be "quietly buried".
Mr de Villepin has seen his authority eroded by a two-month crisis over the labour law he personally championed, which split his party and sparked calls for reform of France's political institutions.
This week he agreed to abandon the reform, less than two weeks after it was passed into law, replacing it with extra subsidies for companies employing unqualified youths. The replacement law was approved by parliament yesterday.
