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Local France
12-08-2025
- Business
- Local France
8 big problems that France faces this autumn
September in France marks la rentrée - when the kids go back to school, adults go back to work and the parliament starts a new term. It's traditionally a time for new ideas, fresh initiatives and planned legislation - but a highly combustible political situation, not to mention international tensions, make this year especially difficult. Battle over the budget France still has a significant budget deficit to address. The country finally managed to pass its 2025 budget in February, after the first version brought down Michel Barnier's government at the end of December. This year, the same challenge remains. In July, French Prime Minister François Bayrou gave an overview of what a possible 2026 budget could entail, intending to cut spending by €40 billion. Advertisement Bayrou floated plans such as cutting two public holidays and freezing spending increases (including on pensions and health), except for debt servicing and the defence sector. However, Bayrou's proposed cuts have not been popular amongst opposition parties, and the budget could end up bringing down another government. Debates in parliament begin in late September/early October. READ MORE: OPINION: Bayrou's budget has infuriated everyone and may force France into fresh elections Strikes and protests French unions have opposed Bayrou's proposals for budget cuts, and there is a possibility of large-scale mobilisation in September. The country's third-largest union, Force Ouvrière, has issued a strike notice for three months in autumn in response to cost-cutting measures announced by the prime minister. A meeting of France's inter-syndical - the group representing all the country's major unions - is scheduled for September 1st, and it's possible that other unions could join FO's action. Meanwhile, a previously unknown online group has issued a call for a complete blockade of the country from September 10th, which appears to be rapidly gaining traction. It remains to be seen how disruptive the action could be. Agriculture law (Loi Duplomb) While the piece of agricultural legislation known as the Loi Duplomb has been signed into law , it is possible there will be pushback as its key provisions begin to be enacted. The law caused a great deal of controversy in France, with more than 1 million people signing a petition to scrap it, in large part due to plans to reintroduce the bee-killing pesticide acetamiprid. Ultimately, France's Constitutional Council, the country's highest court, struck down the contested pesticide provision. However, the final version of the law also includes plans to change the rules on water storage , a topic that has also become more controversial as more parts of France suffer from increasing temperatures and drought each summer. Water supplies have already started to become a flashpoint - there were violent clashes in the south-west town of Sainte-Soline where giant underground water storage basins were being built in 2023. Advertisement Start of EES The EU is due to bring in its new Entry & Exit System (EES) on October 12th, 2025, with a six-month phased introduction. EES will require passengers to give biometric details, including fingerprints and a facial scan, and an automated passport scanning to keep track of time spent in the EU for those covered by the 90-day rule. Although the system covers all of the EU's external borders, there are particular worries about the busy UK-France border. READ MORE: Travel to France: Your questions answered about EES And ETIAS Trump tariffs The EU seems to have struck a deal with Washington for a 15 percent tariff on EU goods entering the US market - but this is more of an outline agreement and negotiations continue on certain sectors. As such, it is unclear when the tariffs would actually come into force. Overall, France is not one of the worst-affected EU countries - Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands and Belgium are expected to be the worst hit - but there are some areas and industries that would be hit especially hard. In 2024, French exports to the US were driven by aeronautics, beverages (wine and Cognac) , and pharmaceuticals. READ MORE: Why Normandy is the French region hardest hit by US tariffs Brexit cards As the first post-Brexit residency permits - known as the Article 50 TUE cartes de séjour or WARP cards - begin to reach their expiration dates at the end of 2025 and early 2026, the French government must soon announce instructions for card renewals. Advertisement Brits who were living in France prior to Brexit and have the five-year card should benefit from a simplified renewal process as outlined in the Withdrawal Agreement - but at present it not clear exactly how the card renewals will be done (eg online or in person, using a special website or the standard ANEF site). The Local has been in touch with the Interior Ministry to ask about procedures for renewals. READ MORE: Latest: What's the deal with renewing the post-Brexit carte de séjour Immigration law As for other residency-related questions - as part of the 2024 immigration law, the French parliament voted to bring in stricter language requirements for certain residency cards and French nationality, from January 2026. READ MORE: Your questions answered: New French language requirements for foreigners Those making their first application for a carte de séjour pluriannuelle (multi-year card, max duration of four years) will from January need to demonstrate a French level of at least A2 according to the DELF/ CERL international language scale. Those making their first application for a 10-year carte de résident (in most cases, available after five years of consecutive residency) will need to demonstrate at least B1 level in French - an increase from the previous requirement of A2. Those applying for French citizenship will need to demonstrate at least B2 level in French, instead of the previous requirement of B1. Citizenship applications from January 1st will also involve a written civics exam, with the details to be announced in the coming weeks. As such, préfectures have a lot of preparation to do this autumn, and many are dealing with significant backlogs. It is possible that the culmination of several new requirements could lead to more delays. READ MORE: New law: What's changing and what's staying the same for French citizenship? International situation This isn't a France specific problem of course, but the international situation remains tense. France has taken a lead when it comes to military aid to Ukraine, with France and the UK - as Europe's two major military powers - agreeing to a 'reassurance force' to be deployed in the country. The situation in Gaza shows no sign of improving and president Emmanuel Macron has pledged that France will formally recognise the state of Palestine at the UN General Assembly in September. France, which has both Europe's largest Jewish population and its largest Muslim population, remains on high alert for the potential for the conflict to spark unrest or terrorists threats within Europe.
Local France
12-08-2025
- Health
- Local France
France adopts law upholding ban on controversial insecticide
The legislation has been at the heart of a major debate in France and sparked a student-initiated petition that was wildly successful. READ MORE: What is France's Loi Duplomb and why are people protesting about it? Critics of the bill, adopted in July in a fractured lower house of parliament, say it was rushed through without proper debate. The law was published in the government's official journal on Tuesday after the Constitutional Council, the country's highest court, struck down the contested provision about the reintroduction of acetamiprid. The court said that the insecticides known as neonicotinoids posed "risks to human health" and were unconstitutional as they undermined the right to live in a balanced and healthy environment as guaranteed in the country's environmental charter. Banned in France since 2018, acetamiprid is legal in the European Union and proponents say French farmers need it to help them compete with their European counterparts. Advertisement The main farmers' union has railed against the court ruling. Supporters of the petition said their frustration with the legislation went beyond environmental concerns. Commentators have said it may be a sign of exasperation with deadlock in a hung parliament and a desire to have a greater say in political matters. After the ruling, Macron had said he intended to quickly enact the law and rejected further parliamentary debate. The controversial legislation has been dubbed the Duplomb law, after its author, Laurent Duplomb, a senator for the right-wing Les Republicains party. French Health Minister Yannick Neuder has called for a European reassessment of the impact of acetamiprid on human health.
Local France
29-07-2025
- Health
- Local France
French health experts speak out against bee-killing pesticide
The legislation to reintroduce in France acetamiprid, a pesticide that is harmful to ecosystems but popular with many farmers in Europe, was adopted on July 8th, but without a proper debate to bypass gridlock in a divided parliament. The move sparked anger in France, and support for a student-initiated petition against the legislation has snowballed, with university lecturers, left-wing lawmakers and star chefs backing it. The petition had garnered more than 2 million signatures by Tuesday. READ ALSO : What is France's Loi Duplomb and why are people protesting about it?✎ Health experts and patient associations have now weighed in, saying in an open letter in French daily Le Monde that they cannot back "a law that is dangerous to the health of our fellow citizens". Advertisement President Emmanuel Macron, who has been under increasing pressure to act, said he is waiting to hear the verdict of the Constitutional Council, which is expected to rule on the constitutionality of the law on August 7th. The health experts and patient associations urged the Constitutional Council to reject the legislation, calling on its members to "respond to the democratic demand strongly expressed by French citizens". READ ALSO : Who can sign parliamentary petitions in France?✎ The signatories included Agnes Linglart, president of the French Paediatric Society, Olivier Coutard, president of the scientific council of France's flagship scientific research centre CNRS and Gerard Socie, president of the scientific council of the National Cancer Institute. The Constitutional Council, the letter said, must protect future generations from the legislation that "without a shadow of reasonable doubt compromises the health of young people, children and the unborn". The letter said the Senate committee preparing the bill heard from agricultural unions and government agencies but not "doctors, toxicologists or epidemiologists". The senators did not consult representatives of the CNRS, health and labour ministries, even though occupational exposure to pesticides is a risk factor for humans, the letter said. Citing the INSERM health and medical research organisation, the letter pointed to evidence of a link between exposure to pesticides and the occurrence of cancers, neurodegenerative, pulmonary and hormone-related disorders. Banned in France since 2018, the chemical remains legal in the European Union. The dispute over the bill is becoming increasingly heightened, with members of the farming unions who support the bill dumping manure, straw bales and wool outside the offices of Green MPs and other lawmakers who oppose it. Although France's largest farming union the FNSEA strongly backs the bill, other farmers groups - especially those who represent bee-keepers - oppose the reintroduction of the pesticide. The law itself was introduced in response to the farmer protests of 2024 which brought large parts of the French road network to a halt.
Local France
25-07-2025
- Politics
- Local France
French anger over toxic chemical in farmers' bill piles pressure on Macron
On July 10th, a 23-year-old master's student launched a petition urging the French government to drop legislation allowing the reintroduction of acetamiprid, a pesticide that is harmful to ecosystems but popular with many farmers in Europe. Banned in France since 2018, the chemical remains legal in the European Union, and proponents say French farmers need it to help them compete. Support for the petition spread like, with university lecturers, actors, left-wing lawmakers and star chefs backing it. It had racked up more than 1.9 million signatures by Friday morning. The controversial legislation is dubbed the Loi Duplomb, after its author, Laurent Duplomb, a senator for the right-wing Les Républicains. The bill was adopted on July 8th, but without a proper debate, to bypass gridlock in a divided parliament. Signatories of the petition have urged President Emmanuel Macron not to sign it into law. The petition calls the legislation a 'frontal attack on public health'. But supporters say their frustration goes beyond environmental concerns. Commentators speculate that it may be a sign of exasperation with deadlock in a hung parliament and a desire to have a greater say in political matters. Elodie Germain, 46, said the mobilisation represents a form of 'democratic revenge', after Macron forced a controversial pension reform through parliament in 2023 and dissolved the lower chamber last year, sparking political turmoil that resulted in a hung parliament. READ ALSO French farmers dump manure and throw eggs in petition counter-protest 'There is of course an environmental aspect behind my signature, but there is also a lot of frustration,' said Germain. Advertisement 'After the pension reform and the dissolution, here we have another example of a bill being forced through parliament.' Francois Veillerette, of environmental association Generations Futures, struck a similar note. 'People have felt for months that they are not being listened to,' he said. Such is the success of the mobilisation that representatives of France's culinary world, usually reticent about airing political views, published an open letter calling for the withdrawal of the legislation and a moratorium on pesticide use. 'We are appalled by the blindness of our politicians and their now all-too-obvious ties to the agro-industry,' said the letter, which has collected signatures from nearly 400 people, including Michelin-starred chefs and restaurateurs. 'We, restaurateurs, work hard, we keep our mouths shut and get on with it,' said Glenn Viel, a celebrated three-star Michelin chef. 'But at some point, you have to bang your fist on the table.' Jacques Marcon, another three-star Michelin chef, said he was ready to become 'a true activist for the agricultural and environmental cause'. Newspaper Le Monde said the petition had put politicians on edge. 'The unprecedentedly large grassroots movement making itself heard on environmental issues through the now-famous petition has caught everyone off guard,' it said in an editorial. The petition has drawn attention to parliament's 'shortcomings', it added. In France, if a petition submitted on the National Assembly's website reaches 500,000 signatures, parliament's lower house may choose to hold a public debate, limited to the content of the petition. While any review of the legislation is unlikely at this stage, the government is under increasing pressure to respond to the public anger. Advertisement France has a long history of mass protests, including the yellow vest protests for economic justice. The grassroots movement began in 2018 with a petition calling for lower fuel prices. Several left-wing parties and environmental associations have urged Macron to demand a 'new deliberation' of the legislation in parliament. On Wednesday, Macron said he would wait for the conclusions of the Constitutional Council, due to rule on the validity of the legislation by August 10th, according to the government spokeswoman. Experts warn that if no solution is found, the situation could breed even more frustration. Guillaume Gourgues, a lecturer in political science at the University of Lyon 2, who signed the petition, said it was 'completely abnormal' that there was no outlet in France for 'a mobilisation of this magnitude'. 'No one has the slightest idea what this will achieve,' he said, referring to the proposed parliamentary debate. Gally Vangeenberghe, a 21-year-old sales assistant from the northern city of Lille, said the fact the legislation had been adopted without debate was 'heresy'. 'I find it unacceptable.'
Local France
23-07-2025
- Politics
- Local France
French farmers dump manure and throw eggs in petition counter-protest
About 100 farmers from the southern départements of Tarn, Gers, Tarn-et-Garonne, Haute-Garonne, Ariège, and Hérault spread manure, dumped wool and threw eggs at the Toulouse headquarters of the green party on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Delphine Batho , Green MP for Deux-Sèvres, took to social media after her offices in Melle, 30km east of Niort, were also damaged – by, she said, members of the farming unions Jeunes Agriculteurs et la FNSEA in an effort to 'silence her on the Loi Duplomb.' The previous day, the Ministry of the Interior had recorded ' nine attacks on parliamentarians ' , with, in most cases, ' damage to offices, gatherings in front of offices or insults on social networks ' . Advertisement The protests and damage marks a rise in temperature in the debate over the 'Loi Duplomb' - law that has already been passed by parliament but which has attracted huge support for a petition against it. The law itself is proposed as simplifying rules and regulations for French farmers, but also contains plans to reintroduce a controversial pesticide which is known to kill bees. READ ALSO : The Local France - News and practical guides in English Tuesday's protest in Toulouse was called by farmers' union Coordination Rurale, in response to the online petition calling for the law to be repealed, which on Wednesday morning had more than 1.7 million signatures . The farmers said they were taking action to 'denounce the manipulation behind this petition against the Loi Duplomb.' The law, formulated in response to 2024's farmers' protests, and passed on July 8th, a few days before MPs broke-up for their summer vacations, reintroduces – among a number of measures to 'simplify' farming administration – the use of controversial pesticide acetamiprid, that had been banned in France but remained legal elsewhere in Europe. The use of acetamiprid, which is toxic to biodiversity, was demanded by beet and hazelnut producers, who claim they have no other solution to combat pests and say they are suffering from unfair competition from foreign producers. France's Agence nationale de sécurité sanitaire has issued two opinions demonstrating that alternative products do exist. 'If we [cannot use] this product … all our sugar and hazelnuts will be imported from abroad,' Pierre-Guillaume Mercadal, spokesperson for the Tarn-et-Garonne Coordination Rurale, told AFP on Tuesday evening. Mercadal described the Loi Duplomb as, 'a positive sign in the sense that we are making a law for farmers,' but 'it's a drop in the ocean – we need much more.' 'The Loi Duplomb is not the best in the world, but it was the one that listened to what we had to say,' added Dominique Raud, vice president of the Haute-Garonne section of the union. Advertisement 'The popular opinion comes from people in the city; we are in the countryside,' Raud added. 'We are the first environmentalists ... We see climate change, we are suffering from it.' Although some farmers unions support the Loi Duplomb, others are against it - especially producers involved in bee-keeping. Although the law itself was passed by the French parliament earlier in July it has not yet been put into effect and there are growing calls for another debate or to challenge some parts of the law. Some are calling on president Emmanuel Macron to use his constitutional powers to block it.
