Less than one year after France imposed(强加于)a nationwide ban on smoking in most public places, it will, from Jan. 1, 2008, extend the ban to bars, restaurants, hotels, nightclubs - and the most cherished of all: caf†s.
Ireland and Italy show that countries with longstanding smoking traditions may introduce bans fairly smoothly, as they did in 2004 and 2005. In Germany, where regulations vary locally, Berlin will join France on Jan 1. But fierce critics of the new law in France say it all but destroys the caf†'s basic function: to serve as the socioeconomic glue of society.
C†cile Perez, owner of La Fronde, a typical Parisian neighborhood caf† said: "In the morning, street cleaners in bright green uniforms sip coffee next to well-dressed businessmen; at lunch hour, working-class types rub shoulders with those of the latest fashion at the bar, while couples of all ages rub noses over salads; during the after-work rush, there is a steady soundtrack of clinking glasses combined with conversation; the constant, no matter what time of day, is the smoke that drifts through the air in curls and clouds, seemingly unnoticed."
"Our motto in France is: liberty, equality, fraternity," Olivier Seconda, a regular at the caf†, said.
"The caf† is the place that represents that. You're free to smoke, everyone pays the same price for a beer and different kinds of people talk with one another. This new law goes against that."
Seconda expects the ban to be felt even more strongly in small villages far from Paris, where the caf† is often the only means of social activity. "People already miss the space that allows people of all walks of life to share something-even if it is sometimes no more than a few words and the smoke floating between them."

Less than one year after France imposed(强加于)a nationwide ban on smoking in most public places, it will, from Jan. 1, 2008, extend the ban to bars, restaurants, hotels, nightclubs - and the most cherished of all cafes.
法国从2008年1月1日起禁止在全国大多数公共场所内吸烟，之后不到一年内，禁止吸烟场所扩大到酒吧，餐馆，酒店，夜总会以及人们最为珍视的咖啡馆。
Ireland and Italy show that countries with longstanding smoking traditions may introduce bans fairly smoothly, as they did in 2004 and 2005. In Germany, where regulations vary locally, Berlin will join France on Jan 1. But fierce critics of the new law in France say it all but destroys the cafe's basic function: to serve as the socioeconomic glue of society.
具有悠久吸烟传统的爱尔兰和意大利分别在2004年和2005年相当顺利地推出了禁烟令。在德国，当地禁烟法规有所不同，柏林和法国一样，从2008年1月1日起实行了禁烟令。但是在法国，对禁烟新规持激烈批评意见的人士说，这种禁烟令只会破坏咖啡馆融合社会经济的基本功能。
C†cile Perez, owner of La Fronde, a typical Parisian neighborhood caf† said: "In the morning, street cleaners in bright green uniforms sip coffee next to well-dressed businessmen; at lunch hour, working-class types rub shoulders with those of the latest fashion at the bar, while couples of all ages rub noses over salads; during the after-work rush, there is a steady soundtrack of clinking glasses combined with conversation; the constant, no matter what time of day, is the smoke that drifts through the air in curls and clouds, seemingly unnoticed."
佩雷斯是La Fronde，一个典型的巴黎附近咖啡馆的老板，他表示：“穿着明亮的绿色制服的清道工人早晨会来喝咖啡而旁边则可能坐着衣冠楚楚的商人；在午餐时间，工薪阶层会在酒吧与身着最新时装的潮人比肩而座；与此同时各年龄层的夫妇会边吃沙拉边擦鼻子；在下班后的酒吧高峰期间，酒吧内总是说话声夹杂着杯盘的叮当声。一天中无论何时，唯一不变的是人们抽烟吐出的阵阵烟圈，形成烟雾、向空中排放着，似乎被忽视了。“
"Our motto in France is: liberty, equality, fraternity," Olivier Seconda, a regular at the caf†, said.
"The caf† is the place that represents that. You're free to smoke, everyone pays the same price for a beer and different kinds of people talk with one another. This new law goes against that."
Seconda expects the ban to be felt even more strongly in small villages far from Paris, where the caf† is often the only means of social activity. "People already miss the space that allows people of all walks of life to share something-even if it is sometimes no more than a few words and the smoke floating between them."
“我们法国奉行的座右铭是：自由，平等，博爱，”奥利维 塞孔达，一位咖啡馆常客说道。
“咖啡馆就是象征这些信念的地方。您可以随意吸烟，每瓶啤酒大家都付了一样的费用，不同的人可以相互交谈。这项新法律背离了这一点。”
塞孔达估计这项禁烟令将遭到远离巴黎的小村庄的咖啡馆客人的更加强烈地反对，因为在那里咖啡馆常常是开展社会活动的唯一场所。 “人们一直想念这样的空间，社会各界人士相聚一起分享某些东西，即使有时不仅仅是在烟雾缭绕的环境中聊几句话而已。”