EU moves to ban smoking and vaping in outdoor spaces

The EU is aiming to reduce its smoking population from around 25 percent now to less than five percent of the total by 2040 © Jonathan NACKSTRAND / AFP/File

AFP – EU countries agreed Tuesday on a push for stricter anti-smoking rules, backing bans on smoking and vaping in many outdoor areas including playgrounds and cafe patios.

A recommendation inviting member states to crack down on second-hand smoke and vapour was adopted by health ministers from the bloc's 27 nations meeting in Brussels.