What is France's 'Livret du Citoyen' and why it might be vital to you
If you're applying for French citizenship, then the Livret du Citoyen is about to become your bedtime reading, but it might be useful in other circumstances too.
What is it?
The Livret is a 28-page booklet on the subject of France - its history, geography, culture, politics and values.
The book is free and can downloaded from the French Interior Ministry website
here
.
It also exists in paper form, and is often distributed to young French people, for example first-time voters.
It ranges from factual information such as the number of communes in France (34,965 as of January 1st 2021) and the date of the abolition of the death penalty (1981) to information on France's key values and the rights and responsibilities of a French citizen.
Unsurprisingly, it is in French (which it will inform you is the only official language of the French Republic).
When do I need it?
The booklet is recommended reading for anyone applying for French citizenship, as its information forms the basis of the questions that you will be asked in the citizenship interview.
There's no need to wait until you have made your application, however, anyone can download the booklet for free at any time. You might just fancy some bedtime reading about France or you might genuinely find to helpful to integrating in your new home.
So I need to learn all 28 pages before my citizenship interview?
Relax, you're not expected to learn the whole thing by heart. The intro explains that the booklet lays out "examples of the type of knowledge required from candidates for citizenship".
It adds that candidates are "invited to study it before the interview, to better prepare for the discussion".
Forgetting the date of birth of King Henri IV (1553) won't automatically end your citizenship hopes - the interviewer is just looking for a decent overview of French history and geography.
Advertisement
Knowledge of France's core values - and agreement with those values - is considered more important, so you should definitely know things like France's motto -
liberté, égalité, fraternité
- and be able to explain
laïcité
(French state secularism, find a full explanation
here
).
Is the interview limited to the information in the Livret?
Not necessarily, the booklet explains that its information is "not exhaustive". Interviewers can ask about other aspects of France, perhaps asking you which French singers, films or TV shows you like.
They'll also likely ask you how integrated you are into everyday life in France.
In short, the interview is about more than just being able to reel off facts like the number of départements in France (101, including 5 overseas départements) - it's about being able to demonstrate that you are integrated in French life, you understand France and you agree with broad values such as gender equality and democracy.
Advertisement
In practice, interview candidates report a huge variation - some are grilled for an hour on every aspect of France and French life, others just have a quick chat. It's impossible to know in advance which one you will get, however, so it's a good idea to prepare for the tough version.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
France 24
3 hours ago
- France 24
How to break the cycle? From war in Gaza to a two-state solution?
From the show A death spiral in Gaza with no end in sight, a Middle East peace process that's been moribund for years. What's the point of talking solutions when not even a truce is in sight? In New York next week, France slated to co-chair with Saudi Arabia what's officially billed as a 'UN International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution.' Emmanuel Macron had strongly suggested he would recognize a Palestinian state. Is it still the case? We asked about the pressure on the French president to dial it back. With the U.S silent as Israel pounds Gaza and expands illegal Jewish settlements in the West Bank, what does recognizing Palestinian statehood change in practice? On Thursday, Paris will host a springboard event for New York. We heard from civil society participants in the civil society conference hosted by the Paris Peace Forum. How to find common ground to proposals that can win over a population where positions have generally hardened for so long? Produced by Rebecca Gnignati, Aurore Laborie and Ilayda Habip.
Euronews
4 hours ago
- Euronews
Egypt stops activists marching to Gaza to draw attention to aid crisis
Egypt blocked activists planning to take part in a march to Gaza on Thursday, halting their attempt to reach the border and challenge Israel's blockade of humanitarian aid to the enclave before the march could begin. Egyptian authorities and activists both said that dozens of people planning to march across the Sinai Peninsula were deported, but organisers said they had no plans to cancel the event. To draw attention to the humanitarian crisis afflicting people in Gaza, marchers have for months planned to trek about 50 kilometres from the city of Arish to Egypt's border with Gaza on Sunday to "create international moral and media pressure" to open the crossing at Rafah and lift a blockade that has prevented aid from entering. They said they had tried to coordinate with Egyptian embassies in the various countries from which the participants came, but authorities said they had not obtained authorisation for the march. Authorities deported more than three dozen activists, mostly carrying European passports, upon their arrival at Cairo International Airport in the past two days, an Egyptian official said on Thursday. The official said the activists aimed to travel to Northern Sinai "without obtaining required authorisations." The standoff has put pressure on the activists' home countries, which are wary of seeing their citizens detained. A French diplomatic official said France is in "close contact" with Egyptian authorities about French nationals who were refused entry in Egypt or detained to ensure "consular protection." The participants risked arrest for unauthorised demonstrations in sensitive areas like the Sinai Peninsula, the official added. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak publicly on the sensitive diplomatic matter. Egypt has publicly denounced the restrictions on aid entering Gaza and repeatedly called for an end to the war. It has said that the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing remains open, but access to the Strip has been blocked since Israel seized the Palestinian side of the border as part of its war with Hamas that began in October 2023. However, authorities have for years clamped down on dissidents and activists when their criticism touches on Cairo's political and economic ties with Israel, a sensitive issue in neighbouring countries where governments maintain diplomatic relations with Israel despite broad public sympathy for Palestinians. Egypt had earlier warned that only those who received authorisation would be allowed to travel the planned march route, acknowledging it had received "numerous requests and inquiries." "Egypt holds the right to take all necessary measures to preserve its national security, including the regulation of the entry and movement of individuals within its territory, especially in sensitive border areas," its foreign ministry said in a statement on Wednesday. Israel Katz, the Israeli defence minister, yesterday referred to the protestors as "jihadists" and called on Egypt to prevent them from reaching the border with Gaza. He said they "endanger the Egyptian regime and constitute a threat to all moderate Arab regimes in the region." The march was set to begin just days after a large convoy, which organisers said included thousands of activists, travelled overland across North Africa to Egypt. Activists and attorneys said airport detentions and deportations began on Wednesday with no explicit reason given by Egyptian authorities to detainees. Algerian attorney Fatima Rouibi wrote on Facebook that Algerians, including three lawyers, were detained at the airport on Wednesday before being released and ultimately deported back to Algiers on Thursday. Bilal Nieh, a Tunisian activist who lives in Germany, said he was deported along with seven others from northern Africa who also hold European passports. Organisers said in a statement that they had received reports that at least 170 participants had been delayed or detained in Cairo. They said they had followed the protocols laid out by Egyptian authorities, met with them and urged them to let march participants into the country. "We look forward to providing any additional information the Egyptian authorities require to ensure the march continues peacefully as planned to the Rafah border," they said in a statement. The Global March to Gaza is the latest civil society effort pressing for the entry of food, fuel, medical supplies and other aid into Gaza. Israel imposed a total blockade in March in an attempt to pressure Hamas to disarm and to release hostages taken in the 7 October 2023 attack that sparked the current war in Gaza. It slightly eased restrictions last month, allowing limited aid in, but experts warn the measures fall far short. Food security experts warn the Gaza Strip will likely fall into famine if Israel doesn't lift its blockade and stop its military campaign. Nearly half a million Palestinians are facing possible starvation and 1 million others can barely get enough food, according to findings by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), a leading international authority. Israel has rejected the findings, saying the IPC's previous forecasts had proven unfounded. African champions Al Ahly meet Inter Miami in the opening game. The match-up between Copa Libertadores winners Botafogo and recent UEFA Champions League victors PSG is a must-see match in the group stage. ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ
France 24
7 hours ago
- France 24
Egypt detains more than 200 activists ahead of Gaza aid march
Egyptian authorities have detained more than 200 pro-Palestinian activists in Cairo ahead of an international march aiming to break Israel 's blockade on Gaza, organisers said Thursday. Thousands of people taking part in the Global March to Gaza planned to travel to Egypt 's Rafah border crossing with the Palestinian territory on Friday to call for increased humanitarian aid access. "Over 200 participants were detained at Cairo airport or questioned at hotels across Cairo," the march's spokesperson, Saif Abukeshek, told AFP. The detainees included people from Algeria, Australia, France, Morocco, the Netherlands, Spain and the United States, he said. Plainclothes officers entered Cairo hotels on Wednesday with lists of names, questioning activists, and in some cases, confiscating phones and searching personal belongings, said Abukeshek. "After interrogations, some were arrested and others were released." At Cairo airport, some detainees were held for hours without explanation, Abukeshek said, adding others were deported, without specifying how many. More than 20 French activists who had planned to join the march were held at Cairo airport for 18 hours, he said. "What happened was completely unexpected," Abukeshek said. Footage shared with AFP showed dozens of people with their luggage crammed inside a holding room at the airport. "We're locked up here in this room with so many people -- some 30-40 people," a German national said in one video. "I called the embassy and they told me their people are trying to figure things out," she said. Another video obtained by AFP shows more than 30 people aboard a deportation flight from Cairo chanting in French: "The world is with you... Gaza... Gaza". One French traveller, who was briefly detained and released early Thursday, told AFP he had been held in a room at Cairo airport with around 15 others. Speaking on condition of anonymity, he said he saw between 50 and 60 people being stopped, including elderly people and families. The Greek contingent said in a statement that dozens of Greek nationals were among those held at Cairo airport, but were later released after 10 hours in custody. The Global March to Gaza said several people were being released after diplomatic staff arrived at Cairo airport to provide "consular assistance to the detained participants". Cairo Security Directorate chief Tarek Rashid did not respond to an AFP request for comment. Pressure After 21 months of war, Israel is facing mounting international pressure to allow more aid into Gaza, which the United Nations has dubbed "the hungriest place on Earth". Another convoy dubbed Soumoud, or steadfastness in Arabic, left the Tunisian capital on Monday, hoping to pass through divided Libya and Egypt -- which organisers say has yet to provide passage permits -- to reach Gaza. The Soumoud convoy arrived in Tripoli -- the Libyan capital controlled by the internationally recognised government -- on Wednesday. It remains uncertain whether the convoy will be allowed into eastern Libya which is controlled by rival forces loyal to military commander Khalifa Haftar. The Global March to Gaza, which is coordinating with Soumoud, said around 4,000 participants from more than 40 countries would take part in the event, with many having already arrived ahead of the Friday march. Watch more Children shot and wounded at aid distribution centre in Gaza According to the plan, participants are set to travel by bus to the city of El-Arish in the heavily secured Sinai Peninsula before walking 50 kilometres (30 miles) towards the border with Gaza. They would then camp there before returning to Cairo on June 19. Israel has called on Egyptian authorities "to prevent the arrival of jihadist protesters at the Egypt-Israel border". Such actions "would endanger the safety of (Israeli) soldiers and will not be allowed", Defence Minister Israel Katz said. In response, Egypt's foreign ministry said that while it backs efforts to put "pressure on Israel", any foreign delegations visiting the border area must receive approval through official channels. "We will continue despite what happened because the current numbers in Egypt and those expected to arrive are enough to organise this march," Abukeshek said.
