France: Gas rates, 112 calls - seven changes from 2022

More than 1,000 centres offering free help to the public on a range of administrative issues, including pointers on how to resolve legal disputes, are due to open. The number of centres – known as France Services – is set to double on the 2021 figures to grow to around 2,500 by the end of 2022. Find out more about what the centres offer here:

Calling the emergency services could get easier as an experiment starts grouping emergency calls towards centralised platforms as part of an eventual aim to move to a single phone number for key services: 112.

Read more: French government adopts plan for single emergency telephone number

From January 1, consumers will not need to do anything to renew their subscription to France’s cold-calling red list Bloctel for a period of three years. Previously you had to renew the subscription each year.

However many people say the service is ineffective - you can find reader tips for blocking nuisance calls in France here.

Stamp prices are going up, costing €1.43 for a priority (next day) letter up to 20g (€1.65 for international), and €1.16 for the slower lettre verte. You can still use stamps from previous years if they do not have the value marked on them (eg. ordinary ‘red’ or ‘green’ stamps).

‘Regulated’ gas prices with Engie are frozen until June, following rises in 2021. However, there are concerns that steep rises could resume from this point to make up for the freeze period. The next rise for regulated electricity tariffs with EDF, promised by the government to be limited to no more than 4%, is expected in spring.

Read more: Gas prices to be capped for three million households in France

Online book sales will be hit by a law, expected to come into force this year, imposing a fixed minimum delivery price in an attempt to level the playing field between e-commerce giants, such as Amazon, and independent bookshops. The fee is expected to be between €2 and €5.

Read more:French independent bookshops await details of new delivery fee law

Read more: Why Amazon book deliveries will soon cost more in France

Fashion and design schools have been asked to redesign the police uniform to make it more modern. The change is said to be due early this year.

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