French police raid far-right party HQ over campaign financing
09/07/2025
'Worrying': Single EU member states make asylum agreements with other countries
Europe
09/07/2025
EU probes far-right political group over alleged misuse of funds
France
08/07/2025
France wildfire shuts down Marseille airport
France
08/07/2025
UK-France: The tide of realpolitik rises as the sea of rhetoric fades on both sides of the Channel
UK
08/07/2025
Why are French police struggling to curb migrant Channel crossings?
France
08/07/2025
'Restatement of that historic commitment: Renegotiate important Franco-British bilateral agreements'
UK
06/07/2025
The Seine closes for a day due to bad weather in Paris.
France
05/07/2025
Tour de France gets under way on home soil for first time in five years
France
05/07/2025
Title contenders Pogacar, Vingegaard eye Yellow Jersey
France
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LeMonde
25 minutes ago
- LeMonde
French deal on New Caledonian state criticized in archipelago
An accord between France and New Caledonia, creating a state within a state and hailed by French President Emmanuel Macron as "historic," hit immediate fierce criticism in the Pacific archipelago on Sunday, July 13. Following deadly protests that rocked New Caledonia last year, Macron called for talks to break a deadlock between forces loyal to France and those seeking independence. After 10 days of negotiations near Paris, French officials and a delegation of 18 New Caledonian pro-independence and anti-independence representatives reached agreement on Saturday to create a "State of New Caledonia" within the French Republic. The text, which still requires French parliamentary approval and to pass a referendum in the archipelago, provides for the creation of a New Caledonian nationality and the sharing of powers. But it won few supporters in the archipelago. The signatories of the draft agreement admitted during a meeting with Macron on Saturday evening that they were struggling to win over opponents of the deal, which will be submitted to a referendum in February 2026. Joel Kasarerhou, president of civil society group Construire Autrement ("Build Differently"), called the agreement "stillborn," describing it as a "poor" replica of previous agreements and "lacking ambition and vision." Kasarerhou said the youth at the heart of the May 2024 uprising had been "forgotten or barely mentioned." He feared another "May 13": the date the 2024 riots began. Crossing a 'red line' Home to around 270,000 people and located nearly 17,000 kilometres from Paris, New Caledonia, one of several overseas territories that remain an integral part of France, has been ruled from Paris since the 1800s. But many indigenous Kanaks resent France's power over the islands and want more autonomy or independence. Unrest broke out in May 2024 after Paris planned to give voting rights to thousands of non-indigenous long-term residents. Kanaks feared this would water down their influence, crushing any chance of securing independence. Philippe Blaise, the pro-France first vice president of the Southern Province government, distanced himself from the accord, saying on social media he had discovered the contents of the agreement "like all New Caledonians" after it was signed. Blaise said the text "crossed a red line" with the recognition of a "New Caledonian state" and a "distinct nationality": incompatible, in his view, with French unity. 'Betrayal' Several pro-independence figures said the accord was signed without a clear mandate from their base. Several social media posts by pro-independence activists condemned their representatives' signing of the deal. Brenda Wanabo-Ipeze, a leader of the pro-independence group CCAT, currently incarcerated in France, said: "This text was signed without us. It does not bind us." Melanie Atapo, president of the pro-independence USTKE union, which represents Kanak people, told AFP she was "surprised" by the agreement and that the signatories should "come back to share with the bases before signing". Another pro-independence leader with links to the pro-independence FLNKS party, speaking on condition of anonymity, called it a "betrayal," saying pro-independence negotiators have "given in on essential points" without militant approval.
Local France
an hour ago
- Local France
Impact of US tariffs varies across European Union
Ireland, with a major pharmaceutical industry, is in the front line along with Germany, for whom the United States is a major outlet for its cars, steel and machine tools. France is less exposed, even if it does have aeronautics, food, wine and luxury goods companies that risk losing markets. The EU as a whole has an annual trade surplus with the United States of $235.6 billion, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), which reports to the U.S. Department of Commerce. Only China has a higher amount. Germany, the industrial powerhouse Germany, the EU's largest economy, is under particular pressure due to its dependence on exports: it has a surplus of $84.8 billion with the United States, thanks to its large automobile, chemical, steel and machine industries. The United States accounts for 23 percent of the revenue of Mercedes Benz. While some of that is accounted for by SUVs manufactured in the United States and exported, they risk being hit by any tariff reprisals from the EU. The Federation of German Industries (BDI) reacted promptly to Donald Trump's announcements on Saturday, calling on the EU and the United States to "quickly find solutions and to avoid an escalation". READ ALSO: German chancellor 'cautiously optimistic' on EU-US tariff deal Advertisement Italy, France in the second line Italy and France, with surpluses of $44 billion and $16.4 billion respectively, according to US statistics (French data says the surplus is much smaller), would appear to be less affected. But some sectors are heavily exposed. The food and wine industries would be particularly affected in both countries, as is also the case for Spain. A 30-percent tariff would be a "catastrophe" for the French wine and spirits sector, Jerome Despey, head of the viticulture branch of the FNSEA union, said Saturday. Coldiretti, Italy's main agricultural organisation, said Saturday that tariffs of 30 percent would cost US consumers and Italian food producers some $2.3 billion. Like Germany, Italy is also concerned about its automotive sector. Franco-Italian manufacturer Stellantis (particularly Fiat and Peugeot) has suspended its forecasts for the year due to these uncertainties. Exposed French sectors also include aeronautics and luxury goods. LVMH, the world's largest luxury conglomerate, makes a quarter of its sales in the United States. About a fifth of France's exports to the United States come from the aerospace industry, much of it from Airbus. Austria and Sweden also have surpluses with the United States, $13.1 billion and $9.8 billion respectively. Advertisement Ireland, Europe's lab Ireland has the largest surplus among EU members, at $86.7 billion. That is largely due to the presence of major American pharmaceutical companies such as Pfizer, Eli Lilly, and Johnson & Johnson. They all set up in Ireland to benefit from a 15 percent corporate tax, compared to 21 percent in the United States. These companies can thus host their patents in Ireland and sell on the American market, where drug prices are traditionally higher than in the rest of the world. Ireland also hosts most of the European headquarters of American tech giants, such as Apple, Google and Meta, also attracted by the attractive Irish tax system. Overall, pharmaceuticals account for 22.5 percent of EU exports to the United States, according to Eurostat, with many major players having announced major investments in the United States.
France 24
2 hours ago
- France 24
France says Australia defence ties repaired after submarine row
Paris expressed its "strong regrets" when Australia tore up a multibillion-dollar deal to buy a fleet of diesel-powered submarines from France, Ambassador Pierre-Andre Imbert said. Since the 2022 election of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, however, the defence relationship had been "restarted", he said. "Now, the first pillar of our cooperation is defence and security, so we have a very good level of cooperation," the ambassador told AFP as French forces joined major military drills around Australia. When Australia ditched the French deal, it opted instead to acquire nuclear-powered vessels in a new three-way AUKUS pact with the United States and Britain. But a US defence official last month revealed that a review of AUKUS was underway to ensure it "aligned with the President's America First agenda" and that the US defence industrial base was "meeting our needs". Under the AUKUS deal, Australia would acquire at least three Virginia class submarines from the United States within 15 years, eventually manufacturing its own subs. The US Navy has 24 Virginia-class vessels but American shipyards are struggling to meet production targets set at two new boats each year. Asked if France would ever consider discussing a new submarine deal with Australia if the AUKUS agreement was torpedoed by the review, the French ambassador said he was reluctant to speculate. "I would say it's more an issue for Australia for the moment. And of course, we are always discussing with our friends of Australia," he said. "But for the moment, they have chosen AUKUS," he said. "If this changes (and) they ask, we'll see." More than 30,000 military personnel from 19 nations are set to join the three-week, annual Talisman Sabre military exercises, which started Sunday across Australia and Papua New Guinea.
