Latest from Local France
Local France
2 hours ago
- Business
- Local France
French prime minister calls for scrapping of two public holidays in austerity budget
The PM on Tuesday afternoon gave a press conference outlining his plans to get a grip on the country's public spending. Among other measures he called on the French to "work more" and suggested abolishing two of France's 11 annual public holidays (or 13 for people who live in the historic Alsace Lorraine region). He called on the "whole nation to work more" and said he would be suggesting the abolition of two jours fériés - as examples, he cited May 8th (VE Day) and Easter Monday, but insisted "these are proposals". According to a Senate report published last September, cancelling one public holiday would generate €2.4 billion a year. Advertisement At present France has 11 public holidays a year ranging from the secular such as the July 14th Fête nationale and VE Day to the historic Catholic holidays like Ascension and Assumption. Those living in the Alsace Lorraine area get two extra holidays - St Stephens Day on December 26th and Good Friday (the Friday before Easter) - for historic reasons relating to their change in ownership between France and Germany. The most recent public holiday to be scrapped was Pentecost - which was axed as an official ' jour férié ' in 2005 but now has an ambiguous status in which some workers get the day off and others don't. The idea of scrapping a holiday in order to save money was considered but rejected by Bayrou's predecessor Michel Barnier. Bayrou was presenting the outline of his plan to save €40 billion - the debates on the Budget will then begin in parliament in the autumn with the state spending plan normally passed before the parliamentary session ends for Christmas. The public holiday changes would be part of the full Budget presented to parliament for debate. However MPs could bring down another government if enough of them vote instead for a motion of no-confidence in Bayrou over the spending plans.
Local France
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Local France
France's migrant office scraps in-person French classes and replaces them with app
As France tightens up the language requirements for foreigners to qualify for a residency card, it has also scrapped the in-person classes provided by one of the biggest state agencies. OFII French language classes will now be reserved for asylum seekers and people are complete beginners in both spoken and written French - everyone else will be directed to an online service to complete the compulsory hours of French learning. Who does this affect? The change affects anyone who is ordered to take French classes by the Office français de l'immigration et l'integration (OFII) - on arrival in France, most visa holders are required to go to an appointment at the OFII which includes an assessment of their French level. People who do not have A1 (beginner) level French are assigned compulsory French classes - usually between 100 and 200 hours of classes in total. Certain types of residency permit holders are exempt from this requirement - full details here . READ ALSO : OFII: Your questions answered on France's immigration office✎ The classes are free and, until now, have been provided in a classroom setting with a teacher. Advertisement The change only covers OFII courses - it does not affect people who take other State-subsidised classes such as those offered by the Mairie or regional local authorities. What changes? From August in-person classes will be replaced for most people with an online platform. In-person classes will be reserved for only certain groups including asylum seekers, people who have limited literacy or those whose have no spoken or written French. At the time of writing, the online platform and app have not been launched, the exact format of the online classes is not clear, neither is the start date. OFII director Didier Leschi said only that the number of hours of learning on the platform "will no longer be limited" and there will be "checks on the learning process". He added that it is modelled on a similar system in Germany. It is believed that people will be directed to either the website or an in-person classes, based on their interview with the OFII on arrival in France. Will this be better or worse? Didier Leschi said that the new system will be advantageous for people who are working - since it gives them flexibility to fit in classes around work - and those who live far away from teaching centres. He told the Info Migrants group : "This new modality is advantageous for people who are already in work or who live far from the training sites, which would generate travel costs." However several groups have sounded the alarm about what they believe will be a lower quality of teaching offered. Advertisement Marianne Bel, in charge of French learning for the refugee organisation Cimade, also pointed to the apparent break between the end of in-person classes and the launch of the online platform. She said: "The platform is not yet up and running, so during July and August there will be no more courses. The response to the call for tenders has not yet been officially published, and the service provider will have two months to configure its platform, which would postpone the start until September." She also pointed out this will disadvantage people who have poor computer literacy or don't have the equipment, time and space to do at-home distance learning. She said: "We believe that learning a language cannot be dissociated from welcoming and human interaction". Why the change? The changes comes in the context of a tightening of the requirements for French language levels in the 2024 Immigration law. Among other things, the bill raises the language levels required for French citizenship and for long-term residency. Several parts of the new law have not yet come into effect, and it's believed that a lack of capacity to offer and enforce new language requirements was among the reasons for the delay. Find the latest on the start dates for new language rules HERE .
Local France
2 hours ago
- Business
- Local France
Porn sites must check age of French users, says top court
More than half of all boys in France access porn sites on average every month from age 12, French audiovisual watchdog Arcom said in June. France is trying to prevent minors from accessing pornography, but has faced pushback from adult websites. The government in March ordered porn sites based in the European Union, but not in France, to check the ages of their visitors based on a French law from 2024, to prevent underage users from accessing them. Pornhub, YouPorn and RedTube, all owned by the same parent company, made themselves unavailable in France in early June in protest. Advertisement Hammy Limited, an adult film firm based on Cyprus and the operator of the Xhamster platform, took legal steps against the French decree. The Paris administrative tribunal last month then suspended it, pending an investigation into whether it was compatible with EU legislation. After the government appealed, the Council of State, the country's top administrative court, on Tuesday said it had annulled that suspension. "YouPorn and Pornhub hit a wall. Judicial manoeuvrings in order to not protect children don't work," said France's junior minister for digital affairs Clara Chappaz on X. In a bid to protect privacy, Arcom, the French watchdog, has recommended operators offer a third-party "double-blind" option that would prevent the platforms from seeing users' identifying information. Aylo, which reports seven million visitors in France daily across its various platforms, has called instead for governments to require makers of operating systems such as Apple, Microsoft and Google to verify users' ages at the level of individual devices. The EU Commission said on Monday that five EU countries, including France, would test an app aimed at preventing children from accessing harmful content online. The commission unveiled the prototype of an age-verification app that Denmark, France, Greece, Italy and Spain will customise to launch national versions within several months.
Local France
2 hours ago
- Health
- Local France
French Expression of the Day: Affection longue durée
Why do I need to know affection longue durée? Well, you don't want to get the wrong end of the stick if your GP mentions it. What does it mean? Affection longue durée – pronounced affec-syon long dyour-ray - might sound like it's a long-lasting friendship or a romantic entanglement that goes on for a long time. But in fact in French affection is a tricky word - it can be used in the same way as in English to mean feeling warm, friendly or loving towards a person. Un sentiment d'affection or un sens d'affection would describe the feeling. But une affection means an ailment or a medical condition. Advertisement On its own its not very commonly used - une maladie or un malaise would be more common for talking about medical conditions in daily life. But the phrase affection longue durée - literally translating as a long-lasting illness - has a very specific meaning. Often referred to by the initialisation ALD, it is the umbrella term for a range of long-term or chronic conditions that require prolonged treatment - ranging from diabetes and asthma to stroke and heart disease, taking in illnesses such as Parkinson's or Alzheimer's, and paraplegia. It also takes in infertility treatments for women, celiac disease and help for deaf children. The definition is important because a nyone with a recognised ALD may be entitled to up to 100 percent of the cost of related care covered by the healthcare system. In fact, there's a list – known as the ALD 30 – of conditions that qualify for this level of reimbursement. It's a non-exhaustive list, as today additional conditions are recognised as requiring care lasting more than six months. Having an ALD may also entitle you to certain benefits or financial aid, so if you have an illness that you think qualifies you, it's well worth talking to your doctor about getting the official ALD designation. Use it like this Pour faire reconnaître une maladie comme affection de longue durée, vous devez consulter votre médecin traitant – To have a condition recognised as a long-term illness, you must consult your GP.
Local France
2 hours ago
- Business
- Local France
France's PM aims to lower deficit to 4.6% of GDP by next year
France is under pressure to bring its public deficit under three percent of GDP as required under EU rules. The centrist premier said the government aimed to bring the deficit down from 5.8 percent last year to below 4.6 percent next year and to under three percent by 2029. To achieve this, measures would include a freeze on expenses, except for debt servicing and the defence sector. Advertisement Bayrou also suggested making people work on Easter Monday and on May 8 th, a day that commemorates Victory in Europe at the end of World War II, though adding he was open to other options. However Bayrou's position remains fragile and his government could be brought down if enough MPs vote in favour of a motion of no confidence once the parliamentary budget debates begin in the autumn. President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday said defence spending should rise by €3.5 billion in 2026, and then by a further three billion euros in 2027. France has a defence budget of €50.5 billion for 2025.
