By mid-October a decision should be made by French Parliament about a smoking ban in public places (including bars, restaurants, cafes and offices) by September 1, 2007. 

The ban has come as a result of conern over the 3,000 - 5,000 second hand smoke deaths per year.  There is talk of creating hermetically sealed smoking rooms with special smoke removal filters in cafes and restaurants, but no table service would be offered in these rooms.

In a city where the smoky cafe is about as common as the croissant, this is going to really change the face of Paris’s cafe scene.  And surprisingly, many French are in favor of the ban.