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Local France
08-06-2025
- Business
- Local France
Remote working rules, tax errors and Poutine - 6 essential articles for life in France
For those of working age who want to move to France, the opportunity of working remotely for a company back in your home country can seem an ideal solution. As part of a special series of articles on remote working in France , we've already pointed out important things around residency and tax rules to consider, plus your status as an employee or self-employed worker. However, if you're in a Tl:dr frame of mind – and there's a lot to digest – here's a summary of everything you need to know. So you want to move to France and work remotely? It's deadline time for the French income tax declaration – so what should you do if you realise you have made a mistake? Whether it's missing a deadline , filling in the form wrong or forgetting to declare foreign bank accounts, here's a look at how to correct errors. What to do if you make a mistake with your French taxes Spain is pushing ahead with tough new measures to limit the purchase of real estate by non-resident foreigners, in order to try and tackle its housing crisis. So is France – which also has a housing shortage – likely to follow suit? This story has been bubbling away for a while, but here's the latest. Will France follow Spain's 100% tax on non-EU house-buyers? At the end of last month, France's MPs voted in favour of scrapping low-emission zones – but this might not spell the end for France's patchwork of ' zones à faible émission ' and their Crit'Air sticker system. We explain. Advertisement Is this the end of France's Crit'Air zones for drivers? There's a popular misconception that obesity is not a problem in France - whole books have even been written on this subject (such as the famous French Women Don't Get Fat ). In reality, however, not only is it a problem but one the government considers requires a whole new campaign to tackle. So, we ask… How serious is France's obesity problem? If you read French media you may have noticed that the Russian premier's name is spelled Poutine, rather than the more usual western rendering of Putin, and his name is also pronounced differently in news broadcasts. There's a reason for that… Why do the French call the Russian leader Poutine?
Local France
27-05-2025
- Health
- Local France
How serious is France's obesity problem?
There's a popular misconception abroad that obesity is not a problem in France - whole books have even been written on this subject (such as the famous French Women Don't Get Fat). In reality, however, not only is it a problem but one that the government considers requires a whole new campaign to tackle. The French government on Monday announced plans to present an "obesity plan" in September 2025, which intends to address the health issue at several levels, including in education, health, sporting and medical contexts. The junior health minister, Yannick Neuder, announced the plan alongside the health minister, Catherine Vautrin, during a visit to the production site of Danish pharmaceutical group, Novo Nordisk, in Chartres. Weight loss drugs The full details of the overall obesity plan will be revealed in September, but making the announcement the ministers referred to possible changes in the rules around weight-loss drugs in France. Neuder referenced several possible ideas to tackle obesity in France, including expanding the power of general practitioners to prescribe two forms of weight-loss medication: Wegovy and Mounjaro. While these medications have been available in French pharmacies since the end of 2024, only doctors who specialise in endocrinology, diabetology, and nutrition can prescribe them. Neuder said the goal would be to allow GPs to prescribe these medications "before the summer". Currently, the medications are not reimbursed by French social security, costing around €300 per month. However, France is in the process of negotiating prices for possible reimbursement, according to Le Monde . Ozempic - which is a semaglutide like Wegovy/Mounjaro - can be prescribed by French GPs, but only to patients with diabetes. It is reimbursed by social security. But how serious is the issue of obesity in France? Despite stereotypes about French women never gaining weight and the healthiness of the French diet, obesity is a growing concern in France. READ MORE: Myth-busting: Are these 12 clichés about France actually true? Nauder noted the need for the plan, as "obesity is a major cause of cardiovascular diseases, which cause 140,000 deaths in France per year." Advertisement As for the numbers, a study from 2020 by researchers from Inserm and Montpellier University Hospital found that 47 percent of French adults were overweight, with more men (36.9 percent) than women (23.9 percent) affected. Obesity differs from being overweight ( surpoids ). French health authorities define it as a BMI (body mass index, or l'indice de masse corporelle, IMC in French) over 30. In contrast, being 'overweight' is classified as having a BMI between 25 and 30. According to the French health site Ameli , between 1997 and 2020, obesity significantly increased. In 1997, 8.5 percent of adults were affected by obesity. As of 2020, that number had risen to 17 percent (17.4 percent of women and 16.7 percent of men). Advertisement Demographics and geography Since 1997, obesity amongst young people (aged 18 to 24) has increased more than fourfold, and among 25-34-year-olds it has increased nearly threefold. During his speech, Nauder noted that "metabolic diseases, diabetes and obesity affect almost 20 percent of French children and adolescents". People living in northern and north-eastern France are also most affected by obesity, with rates above 20 percent in these areas, in contrast to the Paris region and Pays de la Loire, where rates are below 14.5 percent. Obesity levels are also higher amongst low-income groups. The Inserm study found that blue-collar workers ( ouvriers ) had an obesity rate of 18 percent, while 'managers' ( cadres ) had an average rate of 9.9 percent. How does France compare to other countries? Comparison can be tricky, as some countries' data is newer than others, but overall, in comparison to the United States and the UK, France has a lower average obesity rate. In the US, based on a study from August 2021 to 2023 by the CDC , 40.3 percent of adults were considered to be obese. Meanwhile, in the UK, the government reported that based on data from 2022 and 2023, 26.2 percent of adults were living with obesity. Amongst the EU member states, France has historically been among the countries with comparatively lower rates of obesity and overweight. Based on available BMI statistics from 2022, France was among the three countries (along with Italy and Switzerland) with the lowest share of overweight people. According to the World Health Organisation's European obesity report (based on data from 2016), Turkey, Malta and the UK had the highest rates of obesity. France was further down the list, with lower rates of obesity than the EU Member state average and below the EU 14 average.
